Expenditure on research and development in Germany reached a peak in 2021. Compared to the previous year, they increased by 5.6 percent to 112.6 billion euros, as the Federal Statistical Office announced today in Wiesbaden.

The share of gross domestic product (GDP) was 3.1 percent. According to the information, Germany exceeded the target set in the EU growth strategy "Europe 2020" of spending at least 3 percent of GDP on research and development for the fifth year in a row.

All expenditures for research and development in public and publicly funded institutions, at universities and in business are taken into account. Public and publicly funded institutions, which include the institutes of the Max Planck and Fraunhofer Society, recorded a significant increase of 7.5 percent to 16.8 billion euros in 2021. At universities, 20.6 billion euros were spent on research and development (plus 3.3 percent). Business spending increased by 5.9 percent to 75.2 billion euros.