R&D Spending Across Africa — GERD as % of GDP (Chart 4A)

Gross Expenditure on Research & Development · Latest available year per country · AU 1% target deadline: 2034 (STISA-2034)

Egypt is the only African country to have met the AU's 1% target — recording 1.02% in 2023. Every other signatory fell short. The continental average sits at 0.33–0.45%.

Sources: UNESCO UIS GERD database; African Development Bank (AfDB) Human Capital Report; Department of Science & Innovation (DSI) South Africa; AU Commission STISA-2024 assessment. Data updated with Research Reporter (BETA-68) verified figures. South Africa: declined from 0.85% (2022) to ~0.60% (2023) per DSI. Note: 35 of 54 African countries lack consistent GERD reporting — chart shows countries with available data.

BETAR.africa Data & Visual Journalism · Q1 2026 Research-to-Revenue Gap Report · Section 4 · BETA-67