Saudi Arabia spends SAR 22.6B on R&D in 2023: GASTAT

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The total spending on research and development (R&D) in Saudi Arabia increased by 17% in 2023, reaching approximately SAR 22.6 billion, according to a survey by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).

The number of employees in R&D reached 49,300 in 2023, marking a 12% rise compared to 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of researchers grew by 22% during the same period, reaching 36,800.

The private sector led R&D spending, accounting for 38.5% or SAR 8.7 billion, followed by the government sector with 38.3% or SAR 8.66 billion, and the higher education with 23.2% or SAR 5.24 billion.

As for workforce distribution across sectors, the higher education accounted for the largest share at 76.1% (37,500 workers), followed by the private sector at 17.9% (8,800 workers), and the government sector at 6.1% (3,000 workers).

Regarding researchers in this field, 87.4% were in the higher education sector, the private sector (7.6%), and the government sector (5%).