China R&D spending increases 8.2% to 3.93 trillion yuan

China's research and development (R&D) expenditure rose by 8.2% year-on-year in 2025, reaching 3.93 trillion yuan (approximately 584.5 billion USD), according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), R&D spending grew at an average annual rate of 10%, positioning China as the world's second-largest investor in the sector. The country's R&D intensity, measured as a percentage of GDP, increased by 0.11 percentage points to 2.8%, surpassing the OECD average of 2.72% for the first time and ranking 12th globally.

Corporate investment remains the primary driver, with enterprise spending exceeding 3 trillion yuan for the first time, accounting for 77.4% of the total national expenditure. Breakdown by activity shows that basic research grew by 13.3%, applied research by 3.2%, and experimental development by 8.4%.