South Africa's r&d spending rose from 0.53 % in 1997 to 0.61 % in 2022.
South Africa · Innovation, research & technology
R&D, patents, publications, researchers and high-tech.
9 indicators · 9 with data
Research
South Africa's researchers in r&d (per million people) rose from 188.0 /M in 1997 to 444.2 /M in 2022.
South Africa's scientific and technical journal articles rose from 3,925 in 1996 to 14,949 in 2023.
Patents
South Africa's patent applications, residents rose from 888 in 1992 to 1,804 in 2021.
South Africa's patent applications, nonresidents rose from 4,423 in 1992 to 9,156 in 2021.
South Africa's trademark applications, total rose from 14,982 in 2004 to 25,786 in 2021.
Technology
South Africa's high-tech exports fell from 6.0 % in 2007 to 5.7 % in 2024.
South Africa's high-technology exports (current us$) rose from US$1.93B in 2007 to US$2.45B in 2024.
Economy
ICT service exports (% of service exports)
% of service exports
44th of 94 · 2nd in Sub-Saharan Africa
South Africa's ict service exports (% of service exports) rose from 1.2 % in 1996 to 9.5 % in 2025.