Research & development spending

R&D can be measured by the expenditure on R&D performed by an organisation, or the funding received by an organisation for R&D work. These are often, but not always, the same.

You can read more on the Gross domestic expenditure on research and development, UK: 2023. This data provides an overview at regional level of where R&D is taking place.

Total spending by region, current prices (£ millions)

2023 (released 2025)

Country or region	Total	Government & UKRI	Higher education	Business enterprise	Private non-profit
North East	[c]	84	655	724	[c]
North West	6105	233	1497	4343	32
Yorkshire and the Humber	[c]	206	1254	1857	[c]
East Midlands	3258	117	802	2337	2
West Midlands	5584	98	1055	4424	7
East of England	11960	450	1514	9733	263
London	16166	806	3908	10997	455
South East	12496	1368	2514	8470	144
South West	4424	634	1113	2668	9

Source: Office for National Statistics - UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development
License: Open Government License v3.0
Note: [c] = confidential

2022 (released 2024)

Country or region	Total	Government & UKRI	Higher education	Business enterprise	Private non-profit
North East	1502	60	594	784	64
North West	6206	206	1439	4534	27
Yorkshire and the Humber	3217	164	1217	1829	7
East Midlands	3182	101	736	2343	2
West Midlands	4840	87	972	3769	12
East of England	12041	390	1447	9946	258
London	14072	680	3769	9222	401
South East	12295	1172	2395	8583	145
South West	4681	514	977	3179	11

Source: Office for National Statistics - UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development
License: Open Government License v3.0
Note: [c] = confidential

Total spending by nation, current prices (£ millions)

2023 (released 2025)

Country or region	Total	Government & UKRI	Higher education	Business enterprise	Private non-profit
United Kingdom	72555	4318	17133	49973	1130
England	[c]	3996	14313	45553	[c]
Wales	[c]	57	582	835	[c]
Scotland	5016	229	1949	2697	141
Northern Ireland	[c]	36	290	889	[c]

Source: Office for National Statistics - UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development
License: Open Government License v3.0
Note: Note: [c] = confidential

2022 (released 2024)

Country or region	Total	Government & UKRI	Higher education	Business enterprise	Private non-profit
United Kingdom	69533	3636	16277	48572	1049
England	62033	3374	13546	44186	927
Wales	1519	44	587	884	4
Scotland	4891	186	1867	2720	118
Northern Ireland	1089	31	277	781	[x]

Source: Office for National Statistics - UK gross domestic expenditure on research and development
License: Open Government License v3.0
Note: Note: [c] = confidential