View as a webpage

Research and Development: U.S. Trends and International Comparisons

The United States is the largest performer of research and development (R&D), with $806 billion in gross domestic expenditures on R&D in 2021, followed by China, with $668 billion. While overall funding of R&D in the U.S. continues to rise rapidly, the share of basic research funded by the federal government continues to decline. Business funding of U.S. R&D surpassed federal funding in the 1980s and now dominates the U.S. S&E enterprise. These are among the findings in Research and Development: U.S. Trends and International Comparisons published today by the National Science Board (NSB).

Prepared by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics under NSB guidance, this report is part of the 2024 edition of the congressionally mandated Science and Engineering Indicators report on the state of the U.S. science and engineering enterprise.

Research and Development: U.S. Trends and International Comparisons is the ninth of ten Science and Engineering Indicators reports published. In the coming weeks, NSB will publish the final 2024 Indicators report, The STEM Labor Force: Scientists, Engineers, and Skilled Technical Workers.  

The State of U.S. Science and Engineering 2024

This summary report, The State of U.S. Science and Engineering, details key findings from the nine thematic reports that make up Indicators, providing in-depth data and information on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all degree levels; the STEM workforce; public perceptions and awareness of science and technology; U.S. and international research and development performance; invention, knowledge transfer, and innovation; and U.S. competitiveness in high-technology industries.

SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING INDICATORS

Science and Engineering Indicators is a Congressionally mandated suite of products on the state of the U.S. science and engineering enterprise. The reports are prepared by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics under the National Science Board’s guidance.

NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD

The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 charged the National Science Board (NSB) with two roles: governing board of the NSF and advisor to Congress and the President on policy matters related to STEM research and STEM education. Selected for their distinguished service and accomplishments in academia, government, and the private sector, the Board’s 24 presidentially appointed members are leaders in STEM research and education.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING STATISTICS

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), within the U.S. National Science Foundation, is the nation's leading provider of statistical data on the U.S. science and engineering enterprise. As a principal federal statistical agency, NCSES serves as a clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective science and engineering data.