Expenditure for intramural R&D in the Government sector amounted to 0.15 percent of Swedish GDP in 2023. Compared to the Nordic countries, Sweden came in third place after Finland and Norway where the Government sector’s expenditure for intramural R&D amounted to 0.23 and 0.22 percent of GDP respectively.

The Government sector, primarily the state through the R&D funding agencies, is more of a financier of R&D than a performer. In total, the Government sector financed extramural R&D to an amount of SEK 24.3 billion in 2023. Higher education institutions received a majority of state budget allocations for R&D, SEK 18.9 billion in block grants and SEK 11.3 billion through transfers via government agencies.

A smaller share of extramural R&D for the Government sector consisted of exchange funds. In 2023, extramural R&D expenditure in the form of exchanges amounted to SEK 1.8 billion. The largest part, almost SEK 1 billion, was funding from the Swedish Armed Forces commissioning R&D primarily from other defence agencies. In both regions and municipalities, exchange funds were primarily received by higher education institutions.

Just like R&D expenditure, the R&D personnel in the Government sector increased in 2023. In total, the R&D personnel amounted to 14 170 number of persons, whose R&D activities corresponded to 5 925 full-time equivalents, an increase by 2.8 percent compared with 2022. Women made up 53 percent of R&D full-time equivalents and the amount of R&D performed by women increased more than R&D performed by men in the Government sector.

Read more about research and development in the government sector 2023 (pdf)

 2025-02-13 at 8:00.