Germany’s spending on research and development climbed 3.8 % in 2024, reaching €137.1 billion. According to the German Statistical Office (Destatis), this represents 3.17 % of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest share recorded since the series began in 1995 (2023: 3.13 %).
The nation’s contribution to the EU’s “Europe 2020” growth strategy-requiring at least 3 % of GDP to be devoted to R&D-was again surpassed in 2024. Germany’s own target of 3.5 % of GDP by 2025, however, has not yet been achieved.
The €137.1 billion includes R&D expenditures across the economy, universities and non‑university research organisations.
” Companies made a notable contribution, registering a 2.3 % rise to €92.5 billion; they continue to account for more than two‑thirds of total R&D spending.
” University R&D expenditure rose 4.7 % to €24.1 billion.
” Non‑university research institutions spent €20.4 billion, up 10.1 % – a figure above the average growth of 10.1 %. Of this amount, 39.9 % was allocated to research in the natural sciences and mathematics, where spending surged 22.8 % to €8.2 billion.
Key drivers included physics and astronomy, which saw a combined outlay of €4.4 billion, a 46.2 % jump attributed largely to high investment in a major research facility.
Approximately 300 institutes jointly funded by the federal and state governments but operating without profit motives-such as the Max Planck and Fraunhofer Societies-led the sector with €14.5 billion in R&D spending (a 4.6 % increase from the prior year). Together, all other non‑university research institutions expended €6.0 billion (+26.0 %). The fastest growth was recorded by other publicly funded non‑profit organisations, up 54.9 % from the previous year, including the large research institution mentioned earlier.
Personnel numbers in non‑university research institutions also improved in 2024, continuing a long‑term trend for both scientific staff and overall R&D employees. Full‑time equivalents (FTEs) for scientific personnel rose 2.1 % to 67,200. Female scientific staff grew 4.1 %, outperforming the 0.9 % increase for male colleagues. Women made up 36.7 % of all scientific staff-a 0.7‑percentage‑point rise over 2023’s 36.0 %-yet parity was still not reached. The share of women in the total R&D workforce was slightly higher at 42.2 % in 2024, up from 41.9 % in 2023.
