The UNESCO Science Report series was launched in 1993 under the name of World Science Report.

Since 1993, five reports have been published. A sixth is currently in production. The reports monitor the evolution of the support system for science, technology and innovation worldwide over time, through the eyes of an independent team of experts who are each writing about the country or region from which they hail.

The first chapter provides a global overview. Each subsequent chapter begins with an introduction placing the country or region under study in its socio-economic and political context. On the basis of the most recent data available − many of which are provided by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics − the author(s) then goes on to identify and discuss emerging trends and developments in scientific research and higher education, before concluding with a number of policy recommendations.

The series was interrupted in 2000 by the decision of UNESCO’s Executive Board (AR, CH, FR, SP, RU) to re-examine UNESCO’s policy governing world reports. The Board subsequently decided to launch a series of world reports on cross-cutting themes related to UNESCO’s work. This gave rise to two reports, the UNESCO World Report: Towards Knowledge Societies (2005, AR, CH, FR, SP) and the UNESCO World Report on Cultural Diversity and Intercultural Dialogue (2009, CH, FR, SP).

In order to avoid a gap in the data series, the editor of the World Science Report invited the UNESCO Institute for Statistics and consultant Peter Tindemans to prepare a statistical report in 2003, entitled Global Investment in R&D Today.

The World Science Report series was revived in 2004. In order to avoid confusion with the new series of world reports, the monitoring report was renamed the UNESCO Science Report.

All the reports in the series may be consulted online (see below) and purchased in various languages.

UNESCO Science Report, towards 2030 (2015)
The sixth report in the series was launched on 10 November 2015.

UNESCO Science Report 2010
This fifth report in the series is freely accessible online in English and Chinese and may be purchased from UNESCO Publishing in English. The executive summary is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.  

UNESCO Science Report, towards 2030 2005
This fourth report in the series is freely accessible online in English and French and may also be purchased from UNESCO Publishing in English and French.

World Science Report 1998
This third report in the series is freely accessible online in English and Chinese and may also be purchased from UNESCO Publishing in English, French and Spanish. 

World Science Report 1996
This second report in the series is freely accessible online in English and French and may also be purchased from UNESCO Publishing in English, French and Spanish.

World Science Report 1993
This first report in the series is freely accessible online in Arabic, Chinese and English.