Stuttgart, Brunswick and Tübingen are the top 3 EU-regions (NUTS 2 level) in terms of research and development (R&D) expenditure: In 2021, the highest R&D expenditure amounted to 6.8% of the regional GDP in Stuttgart, followed by Brunswick (6.1%) and Tübingen (5.5%) of regional GDP each).
All EU Member States have agreed on a 3% of GDP target for R&D expenditure as part of the Europe 2020 strategy. Out of 205 EU regions at NUTS 2 level, so far about 25 regions have managed to reach this level of expenditure (no regional data available for Belgium, Denmark, Ireland and the Netherlands). In Germany, a total of 14 NUTS 2 regions exceeded the 3% expenditure level. Alongside Stuttgart, Brunswick and Tübingen other high expenditure regions included Karlsruhe, Dresden, Oberbayern and Berlin.
Last update: 09.10.2023. The table R&D expenditure 2021 offers more data on the 10 leading EU regions. More data on R&D expenditure in Germany can also be accessed on the main Destatis website. The methodology section of our website also offers more information on the NUTS classification.