The total expenditure on research and development in Saudi Arabia reached SR14.5 billion ($3.8 billion) in 2021, the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) revealed on Wednesday in its statistics publication for 2021
Government spending made up 50 percent of the total expenditure on research and development, while the private sector made up 35 percent and the education sector 15 percent.
The data showed that the number of workers in this field reached 30,220, and the number of researchers recorded during 2021 reached 24,808.
The education sector spent 15 percent of its expenditure on research and development. It registered the largest percentage of workers, 25,178, in the field of research and development, or 83 percent of the total number.
The government recorded 2,967 workers, or 10 percent of total workers, while the private sector ranked last with 2,075 workers, or 7 percent, in 2021, according to the publication.
