Is development differentiated between countries?

[unmerged(47028)]

I have just started EU2 1.09. This is my first game and I have noticed that development of my country is slowest in all Europe. Even smallest nations in Europe which do not have enough recourses outsmart me. How can it be that nation with one province has Land Level 10 when I am struggling to get Level 3 as I need 20,000 to get it, and others need just 3,000 for level 11.

Does it mean, that some nations are simply not allowed to develop fast enough?

 

[unmerged(32886)]

Tech costs are influenced by many things. The amount of provs you have (the more provs you have, the higher the costs), your dp sliders, religion, etc... Go to this thread (it's the economy thread in the FAQ section) and browse to point 4: 4- Tech costs. There you can find all the specs. Good luck .