Μake us preferred on Google Greece‘s spending on Research and Development (R&D) rose to 3.62 billion euros in 2024, marking a 7.6% increase from the previous year, according to final figures released by the National Documentation Centre, an agency under the Ministry of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence. The data has been submitted to Eurostat as part of the EU’s official statistics.
Total R&D expenditure reached 3.621 billion euros, up from 3.365 billion euros in 2023—an increase of 256.25 million euros.
R&D intensity, which measures research spending as a share of GDP, climbed to 1.53% in 2024, reflecting stronger growth than the economy itself. While GDP expanded by 5.4%, R&D investment outpaced that increase, pushing Greece to 13th place among the European Union’s 27 member states in terms of R&D intensity.
Despite the higher level of investment, employment in research activities declined. Total R&D personnel, measured in full-time equivalents (FTE), fell 5.7% to 69,124, down from 73,263 in 2023. The number of researchers also dropped 6.9%, from 54,679 to 50,892 FTEs.
The business sector remained the largest contributor to R&D spending, investing 1.99 billion euros, or 54.8% of the national total. Higher education institutions accounted for 911.03 million euros (25.2%), while the government sector contributed 706.52 million euros (19.5%). Private non-profit organizations spent 18.16 million euros.
Within the business sector, the strongest R&D investment came from Information and Communication, Mining and Quarrying, Financial and Insurance Activities, Professional, Scientific and Technical Services, Wholesale and Retail Trade, and the manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and preparations.
The broader Information and Communication sector alone invested 361.43 million euros in research and development during 2024, underscoring its role as one of Greece’s leading innovation-driven industries.
