Vienna, Austria – The Austrian Statistical Office announced that Austria has continued to excel in research and development.
For the thirteenth consecutive year, it has exceeded the European target for spending in this sector.
Spending on research and development amounted to 3.34%
Austria spent 3.34% of its GDP on research and development in 2026,
exceeding the European target of 3.0%. Vienna trailed only Sweden (3.56%) and Belgium (3.36%).
Austria is third in Europe and eighth globally
According to the data, Austria ranked third in the European Union and eighth globally
among countries that spend the most on research and development.
Total spending also increased by 1.4% to reach approximately €17.6 billion.
The pivotal role of the private sector
The figures demonstrated the pivotal role of the private sector, with domestic
and foreign companies contributing approximately two-thirds of total spending, amounting to nearly €11 billion.
The federal government’s contribution was around €4.8 billion, while the federal states provided an additional €770 million in support.
