And, while the US still spends the most money on research and development, nine other countries outspend the nation when you look at that cash as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) — an important benchmark of a nation's total economic value.
This R&D total includes money spent on science from government, non-profit, and business sources. American companies far outspend the government on research — making up about 70% of the total, according to the National Science Foundation.
Here are the nine countries that are spending a greater share on science than the US.
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9. Germany: 2.9% of its GDP
8. Austria: 3% of its GDP
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7. Switzerland: 3% of its GDP
6. Denmark: 3.1% of its GDP
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5. Sweden: 3.3% of its GDP
4. Finland: 3.3% of its GDP
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3. Japan: 3.5% of its GDP
2. South Korea: 4.1% of its GDP
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1. Israel: 4.2% of its GDP
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