The bar chart compares how gross domestic expenditure on research and development was allocated across five countries over a ten-year period, commencing in 2001.
Overall, the USA recorded the highest percentage throughout the period, whereas Spain consistently had the lowest figures. China and Spain witnessed growth in 2005, while the remaining three countries experienced a slight decline during that period. Notably, although China underwent the most pronounced change, it remained relatively low, ranking third.
The figure for the USA led the chart consistently, followed by France, with figures starting at 2.6% and 2.1% of GDP. Both figures decreased by 0.1 percentage points in 2005, before the USA reached a peak of 2.7% GDP by 2011, while the figure for France stood at 2.2%. The UK also witnessed similar trend, starting at around 1.5% and ending the period at a slightly higher point (1.55%) than initial point after a negligible drop.
There was a marginal discrepancy between China and Spain, with figures differing only by a percentage point at the outset, at 0.9 and 0.8, respectively. The former, however, rose significantly to around 1.8% by the end, double that of its initial point. The latter, meanwhile, experienced growth to 1.4% by 2011.