The latest figures show that the government allocated €689 per person on R&D activities in 2021. This is far above the EU average of €244 per person.
Second-placed Denmark spent €530 per person, while Germany spent €471.
On this per-capita measure, Luxembourg spent a staggering 36 times more on research and development than lowest-placed Romania, whose government allocated just €19 per person in 2021.
Overall, over the last decade government funding for R&D has increased by 6% compared to 2020, and 35% compared to a decade ago. The biggest risers in percentage terms are Latvia, Greece and Hungary. While Spain actually spent slightly less per person in 2021 than in 2011.
R&D spending covers areas such as scientific research and investment in developing technologies.
Examples of innovation in Luxembourg include the airless wheels being developed in Colmar-Berg, and the Grand Duchy’s burgeoning “Space Silicon Valley”, with a new Space Campus set to open in Kockelscheuer and Belval.
