BCPB Home > Benchmarks > Rankings > Performance Indicator 12: R & D

Performance Indicator 12: R & D

Where BC Ranks, Provincial Comparison

 (Updated February 11, 2008)
Year

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

Rank

7

7

6

5

4

4

4

4

3

5

Performance Indicator Twelve measures how much money is spent on research and development. It includes the sum of expenditures reported by (or estimated for) the various sectors involved in research and development — government, business, higher education and not-for-profit organizations.

In 2004, BC ranked fourth among the provinces in spending on research and development as a percent of GDP. It trailed Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. In 2003 and 2002, the province ranked fourth as well.

In 2005, BC ranked fifth among the provinces in spending on research and development as a percent of GDP. It trailed Quebec, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia.

Between 1996 and 2005 BC narrowed the gap between its spending and the Canadian average, although BC still trailed in 2005.

Over the period 1996 to 2005, all provinces saw their ratio of R&D spending to GDP increase. The largest increases occurred, in order, in Prince Edward Island, BC, and Manitoba.

Why It's Important
Spending on research and development (R&D) is a key factor in innovation and the creation of new wealth.

North American Comparison

British Columbia placed 37th among the 61 subnational jurisdictions on this indicator in 2004 with a ratio of 1.45 percent of GDP. The lowest ranked jurisdictions, Wyoming, South Dakota and Louisiana had about onethird BC's spending ratio.

Top ranked jurisdictions like Michigan and New Mexico had between three and five time the spending ratio seen in BC. For the period 1993 through 2004, BC's best rank was 35th in 2002 and its worst 45th in 1997.

International Comparison

British Columbia is a middling performer on Research and Development (R&D) as a percent of GDP in comparison to OECD countries. BC ranked 19th out of thirty-one jurisdictions for R&D to GDP in 2004 and 20th for average R&D expenditures between 1995 and 2004.

R&D spending as a percent of GDP has been increasing in BC since 1997 and the ratio has been above BC's ten year average since 2000. Among OECD jurisdictions, BC ranked seventh for percentage point growth in R&D as a percent of GDP between 1995 and 2004.




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