FAO Launches Global Agricultural R&D Database Showing $50.4 Billion in Public Research Spending and 316,000 Researchers in 2023

Key Takeaways

• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) data domain on its FAOSTAT portal, providing the first globally harmonized framework to monitor public agricultural research and development (R&D) systems across more than 120 Member states.
• Global public agricultural R&D expenditure reached $50.4 billion in 2023 (measured in constant 2015 purchasing power parities), up from $35.9 billion in 2004, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 1.8% over two decades, with a notable acceleration since 2009 following sluggish growth in the first decade of the century.
• The number of full-time equivalent agricultural researchers globally rose to 316,000 in 2023 from 204,000 in 2004 — a faster rate of growth than expenditure — with Asia accounting for 45% of all researchers and 48% of global public R&D expenditure in 2023.
• Research intensity varies sharply across countries, with the ratio of agricultural researchers per 100,000 agricultural workers ranging from 5 to 1,692; countries spent an average of 1.3% of agricultural value-added on research, with a median of just 0.6%; the highest-intensity countries included Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, Republic of Korea, and Slovenia.
• The new FAOSTAT data domain — funded in part through a grant from the Gates Foundation — builds on a data collection effort that began in 1981 as a joint venture between IFPRI and the former International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR), and is now institutionalized within FAO to provide a sustainable, recurring global monitoring resource.

FAO Releases First Globally Harmonized Agricultural R&D Tracking Framework on FAOSTAT

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released new data showing that global public agricultural research and development (R&D) expenditure reached $50.4 billion in 2023, measured in constant 2015 purchasing power parities — an increase from $35.9 billion in 2004 and an average annual growth rate of 1.8% over the two-decade period. The findings are drawn from a new ASTI data domain launched on FAOSTAT, FAO’s flagship agricultural data portal, which covers more than 120 Member states and provides global, regional, and country-level trends in public agricultural R&D from 2004 to 2023. An accompanying analytical brief was released alongside the data.

“This new domain will strengthen evidence-based policymaking and advocacy for more effective agricultural research systems. It addresses a longstanding gap by providing, for the first time, a regular, globally agreed framework to monitor agricultural R&D. This represents an important milestone, enabling countries to set and track commitments on investment and research capacity through a harmonized measure of national efforts that generate benefits for all, recognizing science and technology as global public goods,” said José Rosero Moncayo, FAO Chief Statistician.

Asia Dominates Global Agricultural R&D with 45% of Researchers and 48% of Expenditure

In 2023, 316,000 full-time equivalent experts were engaged in public agricultural R&D systems worldwide, up from 204,000 in 2004. Asia accounted for the largest regional share, hosting 45% of the world’s agricultural researchers, followed by Europe at 24%, the Americas at 14%, Africa at 13%, and Oceania at 3%. On expenditure, Asia represented 48% of the global total, followed by the Americas at 22%, Europe at 20%, Africa at 8%, and Oceania at 3%.

Growth trends varied significantly across regions. Central Asia recorded the fastest growth rate in both researcher numbers and expenditure over the 2004–2023 period, followed by East and South Asia in spending. Southern Africa recorded the largest decline in research capacity, while Southern Europe saw the largest decline in expenditure. These diverging trajectories reflect differences in national income levels, agricultural sector size, trade dynamics, and institutional capacity.

FAO Data Reveals Wide Disparities in Research Intensity Across National Agricultural Systems

The ratio of agricultural researchers per 100,000 agricultural workers ranged from as few as 5 to as many as 1,692 across the countries covered, illustrating the wide variation in research capacity relative to agricultural workforce size. Countries spent an average of approximately 1.3% of the value-added generated in their agricultural sectors on R&D, though the median was considerably lower at 0.6%, indicating a skewed distribution driven by high-intensity outliers. Countries with the highest R&D intensity ratios included Belgium, Denmark, Switzerland, the Republic of Korea, and Slovenia.

The new FAOSTAT data domain builds on a service that began in 1981 as a joint initiative between the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the former International Service for National Agricultural Research (ISNAR). It has now been institutionalized within FAO — supported by a grant from the Gates Foundation — to provide a permanent, regularly updated framework for global agricultural R&D monitoring. Additional country data is expected to be added to the platform later in 2026.

FAO ASTI Data: Regional Share of Agricultural Researchers and Expenditure (2023)