Statistical Communiqué on National Expenditures on Science and Technology in 2025

2026-10-17 09:30 Print| Large| Medium| Small

Statistical Communiqué on National Expenditures on Science and Technology in 2025[1]

National Bureau of Statistics

Ministry of Science and Technology

Ministry of Finance

October 16, 2026

In 2025, China’s expenditures on research and experimental development (R&D) maintained steady growth, with a relatively rapid rise in investment intensity. The proportion of expenditure for basic research increased steadily, while the national fiscal expenditures on science and technology continued to increase.

I. Expenditures on Research and Experimental Development (R&D)

In 2025, a total of 3,928.82 billion yuan was invested in R&D across the country, an increase of 296.13 billion yuan over the previous year, an increase of 8.2%; the investment intensity of R&D expenditures (as a share of GDP[2]) was 2.80%, an increase of 0.11 percentage points over the previous year. The per capita expenditure calculated based on the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel was 487 thousand yuan, an increase of 7 thousand yuan over the previous year.

In terms of types of activities, the national expenditure for basic research was 283.46 billion yuan, an increase of 13.3% over the previous year; the expenditure for applied research was 444.16 billion yuan, an increase of 3.2%; the expenditure for experimental development was 3,201.20 billion yuan, an increase of 8.4%. The proportion of expenditure for basic research was 7.21%, an increase of 0.33 percentage points over the previous year; the proportion of expenditure for applied research and experimental development was 11.3% and 81.5%, respectively.

In terms of activity entities, the R&D expenditures by various enterprises were 3,039.44 billion yuan, an increase of 7.7% over the previous year; the expenditures by government-affiliated research institutions were 457.23 billion yuan, an increase of 8.1%; the expenditures by higher education institutions were 340.73 billion yuan, an increase of 11.1%; the expenditures by other entities were 91.42 billion yuan, an increase of 11.7%. The proportions of R&D expenditures by enterprises, government-affiliated research institutions, and higher education institutions were 77.4%, 11.6%, and 8.7%, respectively.

In terms of industrial sectors, the R&D expenditure of high-technology manufacturing industry above the designated size was 843.07 billion yuan, an increase of 9.9% over the previous year; the investment intensity (as a share of business revenue) was 3.38%, an increase of 0.03 percentage points over the previous year. Among industrial enterprises above the designated size, there were 8 industries with R&D expenditure of more than 100 billion yuan, and the expenditures accounted for 69.4% of the R&D expenditure of all industrial enterprises above the designated size, an increase of 1.2 percentage points over the previous year. (see Table 1 for details).

In terms of regions, there were 6 provinces (municipalities) that invested over 200 billion yuan in R&D, including Guangdong (551.04 billion yuan), Jiangsu (494.82 billion yuan), Beijing (369.61 billion yuan), Zhejiang (317.72 billion yuan), Shandong (282.57 billion yuan), and Shanghai (258.05 billion yuan). There were 7 provinces (municipalities) whose investment intensity of R&D expenditures (as a share of GRDP[3]) exceeded the national average level, namely Beijing (7.10%), Shanghai (4.55%), Guangdong (3.78%), Jiangsu (3.48%), Tianjin (3.47%), Zhejiang (3.36%), and Anhui (2.86%) (see Table 2 for details).

II. Fiscal Expenditures on Science and Technology (S&T)

In 2025, national fiscal expenditures on science and technology were 1,318.45 billion yuan, an increase of 55.53 billion yuan over the previous year, an increase of 4.4%. Among them, the central fiscal expenditures on science and technology were 447.32 billion yuan, accounting for 33.9% of the national fiscal expenditures on science and technology; the local fiscal expenditures on science and technology were 871.12 billion yuan, accounting for 66.1%.

Fiscal Expenditures on Science and Technology (S&T) in 2025

Indicators	Fiscal S&T Expenditures (100 million yuan)	Growth Rate Y/Y (%)	As a Share of Fiscal S&T Expenditures (%)
Total	13184.5	4.4	--
Of which: S&T Expenditures	12079.2	4.9	91.6
S&T Expenditures in Other Functional Expenses	1105.2	-1.2	8.4

Table 1 R&D Expenditures of Industrial Enterprises Above Designed Size by Sector in 2025

Sectors	R&D Expenditures (100 million yuan)	Investment Intensity of R&D Expenditures (%)
Total	24161.2	1.76
Mining	545.5	1.05
Mining and Washing of Coal	211.7	0.81
Extraction of Petroleum and Natural Gas	162.8	1.42
Mining and Processing of Ferrous Metal Ores	34.0	0.77
Mining and Processing of Non-ferrous Metal Ores	50.4	1.20
Mining and Processing of Non-metal Ores	31.0	0.98
Professional and Support Activities for Mining	55.6	2.05
Mining of Other Ores	0.0	0.45
Manufacturing	23228.5	1.95
Processing of Food from Agricultural and Sideline Products	355.2	0.71
Manufacture of Foods	210.7	1.00
Manufacture of Liquor, Beverages and Refined Tea	89.3	0.64
Manufacture of Tobacco	32.2	0.23
Textile industry	305.6	1.44
Manufacture of Textiles, Wearing Apparel and Accessories	106.9	1.05
Manufacture of Leather, Fur, Feather and Related Products and Footwear	99.7	1.56
Processing of Timbers, Manufacture of Wood, Bamboo, Rattan, Palm, and Straw Products	75.1	1.07
Manufacture of Furniture	78.0	1.34
Manufacture of Paper and Paper Products	147.2	1.10
Printing and Reproduction of Recording Media	91.0	1.51
Manufacture of Articles for Culture, Education, Arts and Crafts, Sport and Entertainment Activities	125.4	0.95
Processing of Petroleum, Coal and Other Fuels	201.2	0.39
Manufacture of Raw Chemical Materials and Chemical Products	1306.9	1.49
Manufacture of Medicines	1213.3	5.13
Manufacture of Chemical Fibers	209.9	2.04
Manufacture of Rubber and Plastic Products	605.8	2.01
Manufacture of Non-metallic Mineral Products	652.5	1.54
Smelting and Pressing of Ferrous Metals	1090.1	1.44
Smelting and Pressing of Non-ferrous Metals	781.1	0.82
Manufacture of Metal Products	832.5	1.81
Manufacture of General-purpose Machinery	1401.3	2.74
Manufacture of Special-purpose Machinery	1426.3	3.71
Manufacture of Automobiles	2372.5	2.12
Manufacture of Railway, Ship, Aerospace and Other Transport Equipment	817.7	3.31
Manufacture of Electrical Machinery and Apparatus	2689.0	2.33
Manufacture of Computers, Communication and Other Electronic Equipment	5263.8	3.03
Manufacture of Measuring Instruments and Machinery	457.0	3.92
Other Manufacturing	90.4	3.02
Utilization of Waste Resources	68.2	0.57
Repair Service of Metal Products, Machinery and Equipment	32.6	1.05
Production and Supply of Electricity, Heat Power, Gas and Water	387.2	0.30
Production and Supply of Electricity and Heat Power	307.2	0.30
Production and Supply of Gas	43.5	0.20
Production and Supply of Water	36.5	0.76

Table 2 R&D Expenditures by Region in 2025

Regions	R&D Expenditures (100 million yuan)	Investment Intensity of R&D Expenditures (%)
National Total	39288.2	2.80
Beijing	3696.1	7.10
Tianjin	643.1	3.47
Hebei	1029.0	2.09
Shanxi	315.9	1.24
Inner Mongolia	278.2	1.04
Liaoning	764.2	2.30
Jilin	260.2	1.74
Heilongjiang	274.4	1.63
Shanghai	2580.5	4.55
Jiangsu	4948.2	3.48
Zhejiang	3177.2	3.36
Anhui	1513.1	2.86
Fujian	1359.8	2.26
Jiangxi	717.8	1.99
Shandong	2825.7	2.74
Henan	1352.2	2.03
Hubei	1635.3	2.61
Hunan	1495.8	2.70
Guangdong	5510.4	3.78
Guangxi	274.0	0.92
Hainan	135.2	1.67
Chongqing	857.7	2.54
Sichuan	1555.8	2.30
Guizhou	263.0	1.12
Yunnan	373.9	1.14
Xizang	8.2	0.27
Shaanxi	959.0	2.62
Gansu	177.6	1.30
Qinghai	36.9	0.90
Ningxia	101.4	1.78
Xinjiang	167.9	0.78

Notes:

[1] Statistics in this Communiqué do not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province. Due to rounding, the subentries may not add up to the aggregate totals.

[2] The GDP in 2025 is based on preliminary accounting data, while the GDP for 2024 is the final verified data.

[3] The GRDP in 2025 is based on preliminary accounting data.

Annotations:

1. Explanatory Notes on Main Statistical Indicators

Expenditures on research and experimental development (R&D) refer to all expenditures actually incurred during the reporting period for conducting R&D activities. R&D refers to the creative and systematic work conducted to increase the stock of knowledge (including knowledge related to humanity, culture, and society) and to design new applications of existing knowledge. It encompasses basic research, applied research, and experimental development. The scale and intensity of R&D are widely used internationally to reflect the scientific and technological strength and core competitiveness of a country.

Basic research refers to experimental or theoretical work without any particular application or use in view, the primary purpose of which is to acquire the fundamental principles, laws and new knowledge of observed phenomena and observable facts.

Applied research refers to original investigation undertaken to acquire new knowledge for a specific practical purpose or objective. It is conducted to determine possible uses for the findings of basic research or to identify new methods for achieving specific and predetermined objectives.

Experimental development refers to systematic work that draws on knowledge gained from scientific research and practical experience, as well as other knowledge generated through research, to develop new products and processes or improve existing products and processes.

2. Statistical Coverage

The statistical coverage of R&D expenditures includes all enterprises and public institutions engaged in R&D activities across society, including government-affiliated research institutions, higher education institutions, and enterprises and public institutions in the industries with relatively intensive R&D activities (including agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, mining, manufacturing, production and supply of electricity, heat power, gas and water, construction, transport, storage and post, information transmission, software and information technology services, financial intermediation, leasing and business services, scientific research and technical services, water conservancy, environment and public facilities management, health and social service, culture, sports and entertainment, etc.)

3. Survey Methods

The methods for surveying R&D expenditures are structured as follows: the comprehensive survey is conducted for industrial enterprises above the designated size, specialized and first-class construction enterprises, and service enterprises above the designated size (engaged in transport, storage and post, information transmission, software and information technology services, leasing and business services, scientific research and technical services, water conservancy, environment and public facilities management, health and social service, and culture, sports and entertainment), government-affiliated research institutions (government-affiliated independent legal-entity scientific research and technology development institutions, scientific and technological information and literature institutions, etc.) and other non-enterprise legal entities in scientific research and technical services, higher education institutions and affiliated hospitals; the sampling survey and estimation are conducted for industrial enterprises and service enterprises below the designated size; the survey of main units is conducted for enterprises involved in scientific research and breeding and Grade III Class A hospitals that fall outside the scope of the statistics in the science and technology and education sectors; data for enterprises and public institutions in other industries are obtained through methods such as estimation based on relevant data.