THE DATA GAP

摘要

Statistics on scientific investment and performance are lacking across the Muslim world. Declan Butler analyses the best of what is available. Stretching from Indonesia to Morocco, and from Uganda to Kazakhstan, countries with large Muslim populationsare home to some 1.3 billion people. The Islamic world encompasses remarkable diversity in political systems, geography, history, language and culture (see page 20). But science in these nations is weak, with spending on research and development far lower than the global average. This much is acknowledged to be true, but what of the details behind the broad picture?