Less than 30% of business expenditure in R&D takes place in the periphery, the Galilee and the Negev. In 2008, the total investment in R&D was ILS 35.2 billion or4.8% of GDP compared to 2.3% for an average of OECD countries. By comparison, other small countries with a GDP comparable to that of Israel that have attained high economic development levels had lower rates of R&D investment: Ireland (1.43%), Denmark (2.72%) and Finland (3.73%). Investment in civilian R&D grew between 1995 and 2008 at an average annual rate of 12.2%.