Thursday, November 7, 2024
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Apple spent $11.6 billion in research and development this year

PwC’s 2018 Global Innovation Study analyzed the top 1,000 companies spending the most on research and development (R&D). The professional services organization broke out the rankings by industry for the top 50, showing the leaders in each category both in overall terms ($billion) and R&D intensity (% of total revenue). 

According to the report, Apple spent 5.1% of its revenue for research and development in 2018 — or $11.6 billion. That compares to 4.7% last year.

Apple and Stanley Black & Decker were the only two companies that qualified as “high-leverage innovators” in all three periods. PwC says those are companies that “get more bang for their R&D buck than their peers.”



R&D spending among the Global Innovation 1000 overall increased 11.4% in 2018, to a record high of $782 billion, reflecting R&D spending increases in all regions and nearly all industries.

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.