Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Compare · Countries

Brazil vs Saudi Arabia

On research quality in 2022-now, Brazil ranks #28 in the world and Saudi Arabia #31, of 189 countries. Brazil stands higher in 16 of the 26 fields both publish in, Saudi Arabia in 10.

Research profiles alike: -0.20different shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

Compare other countries
vs

Brazil

World rank, 2022-now
#28
#23 all time
Works, 2022-now
703k
fractional
Top-10% rate
6.4%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
69%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Forestry, General Arts and Humanities, Information Systems and Management.

Saudi Arabia

World rank, 2022-now
#31
#29 all time
Works, 2022-now
156k
fractional
Top-10% rate
14.4%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
57%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: General Dentistry, Orthodontics, Modeling and Simulation.

Who leads, measure by measure?

Saudi Arabia leads on 5 of 9 measures: excellence for its fields, top-10% rate, citations per work, international co-authorship and growth. Brazil leads on 3 of 9 measures: research quality, output and open access. The two are level on institutions in the world top 100.

Brazil 31 level5 Saudi Arabia
  1. #28Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#31
  2. 0.67×Excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.18×
  3. 703kOutputfractional works, 2022-now156k
  4. 6.4%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited14.4%
  5. 9.0Citations per workall time, per fractional work16.5
  6. 0World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1000
  7. 69%Open accessof its works free to read, all time57%
  8. 14%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time43%
  9. -8%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change+72%

A rank is drawn as its standing: the longer the bar, the nearer the top. Anything else is drawn against the larger of the two, and two values a hair apart are called level. Quality, excellence and the top-10% rate are explained in the methodology.

Who leads in each field?

Brazil stands higher in 16 of 26 fields, Saudi Arabia in 10. Brazil leads most in Arts and Humanities (#21 against #47); Saudi Arabia leads most in Chemical Engineering (#18 against #30). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

Brazil 1610 Saudi Arabia
  1. #24Agricultural and Biological Sciences#31
  2. #21Arts and Humanities#47
  3. #33Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#32
  4. #24Business, Management and Accounting#28
  5. #30Chemical Engineering#18
  6. #33Chemistry#15
  7. #28Computer Science#26
  8. #22Decision Sciences#28
  9. #22Dentistry#24
  10. #29Earth and Planetary Sciences#24
  11. #30Economics, Econometrics and Finance#39
  12. #34Energy#20
  13. #33Engineering#24
  14. #21Environmental Science#30
  15. #20Health Professions#30
  16. #29Immunology and Microbiology#39
  17. #35Materials Science#20
  18. #31Mathematics#27
  19. #25Medicine#43
  20. #33Neuroscience#35
  21. #16Nursing#30
  22. #26Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics#22
  23. #26Physics and Astronomy#39
  24. #26Psychology#34
  25. #18Social Sciences#52
  26. #18Veterinary-

Standing is the percentile of world rank within each field, 2022-now; the printed number is the rank itself. A dash means the field is too small there to rank. How sides are compared.

The numbers behind each field

Click a heading to sort. The side that does better in a pair of columns is shaded: a lower rank, a higher rate, more works.

Field Brazil rankSaudi Arabia rank Brazil top 10%Saudi Arabia top 10% Brazil worksSaudi Arabia works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #24 #31 5.7% 18.3% 53k 5.9k
Arts and Humanities #21 #47 8.0% 14.1% 40k 2.2k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #33 #32 5.1% 11.6% 23k 7.4k
Business, Management and Accounting #24 #28 4.5% 20.2% 14k 4k
Chemical Engineering #30 #18 5.4% 13.7% 1k 947
Chemistry #33 #15 5.7% 16.4% 5.8k 4.5k
Computer Science #28 #26 6.4% 19.3% 31k 14k
Decision Sciences #22 #28 8.7% 17.4% 16k 1.8k
Dentistry #22 #24 5.8% 11.6% 8.7k 3.4k
Earth and Planetary Sciences #29 #24 5.9% 15.3% 6.2k 1.4k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #30 #39 4.8% 15.7% 8.9k 2.3k
Energy #34 #20 4.7% 13.0% 2.6k 3k
Engineering #33 #24 4.7% 16.2% 46k 26k
Environmental Science #21 #30 6.9% 16.5% 55k 6k
Health Professions #20 #30 7.0% 15.0% 38k 4.2k
Immunology and Microbiology #29 #39 5.2% 10.4% 6.1k 1.4k
Materials Science #35 #20 4.5% 14.6% 10k 9.8k
Mathematics #31 #27 5.5% 16.6% 4.8k 4.7k
Medicine #25 #43 4.8% 9.4% 113k 33k
Neuroscience #33 #35 4.6% 13.4% 6.4k 2k
Nursing #16 #30 5.3% 13.1% 3.8k 995
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #26 #22 6.1% 15.2% 1.6k 1.2k
Physics and Astronomy #26 #39 4.8% 14.3% 7k 2.6k
Psychology #26 #34 5.5% 13.4% 22k 4.1k
Social Sciences #18 #52 8.2% 15.4% 177k 8.4k
Veterinary #18 - 4.8% - 1.9k -

What is each known for?

The keywords that describe each side's research, by fractional works in 2022-now and weighted toward what it does more of than the world.

Brazil

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's
All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology44k▲ 1.41×140 topics
  2. Sustainability41k▲ 2.2×139 topics
  3. Teacher Training41k▲ 8.6×30 topics
  4. Public Policy40k▲ 11×34 topics
  5. Qualitative Research39k▲ 5.9×46 topics
  6. Globalization36k▲ 2.4×185 topics
  7. Public Health35k▲ 3.1×77 topics
  8. Quality of Life30k▲ 2.7×61 topics
  9. Education30k▲ 2.3×160 topics
  10. Educational Technology30k▲ 3.2×48 topics
  11. Social Inequality24k▲ 12×21 topics
  12. Online Learning24k▲ 3.7×27 topics
  13. Curriculum Development23k▲ 4.4×20 topics
  14. Healthcare23k▲ 2.6×44 topics
  15. Healthcare Access20k▲ 9.4×13 topics
  16. Biodiversity20k▲ 3.3×38 topics
  17. Cultural Identity19k▲ 4.8×40 topics
  18. Brazil18k▲ 26×5 topics
  19. Social Movements18k▲ 7.6×33 topics
  20. Social Determinants16k▲ 10×8 topics
  21. Inclusive Education16k▲ 5.8×20 topics
  22. Distance Learning16k▲ 5.8×14 topics
  23. Pedagogical Practices15k▲ 22×3 topics
  24. Educational Policies15k▲ 18×3 topics
  25. Educational Reform15k▲ 16×9 topics
  26. Critical Pedagogy15k▲ 22×4 topics
  27. Health Policy14k▲ 12×7 topics
  28. Anthropology13k▲ 18×11 topics
  29. Agroecology13k▲ 12×6 topics
  30. Environmental Education13k▲ 11×11 topics
  31. Data Analysis13k▲ 6.4×14 topics
  32. Discourse Analysis13k▲ 6.8×12 topics
  33. Research Methods13k▲ 10×9 topics
  34. Innovation Management13k▲ 10×10 topics
  35. Marketing Strategies13k▲ 17×3 topics
  36. Quantitative Research12k▲ 13×5 topics
  37. Case Study12k▲ 25×2 topics
  38. Human Resources Management12k▲ 25×2 topics
  39. Competence Management12k▲ 27×1 topic
  40. Organizational Management12k▲ 27×1 topic

Saudi Arabia

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's
All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Machine Learning9,377▲ 1.57×97 topics
  2. Epidemiology8,606▲ 1.20×140 topics
  3. Deep Learning8,212▲ 1.33×85 topics
  4. Nanomaterials4,903▲ 2.6×21 topics
  5. Inflammation4,358◆ 1.14×83 topics
  6. Nanoparticles4,169▲ 1.85×44 topics
  7. Renewable Energy3,548▲ 1.37×61 topics
  8. Healthcare3,546▲ 1.73×38 topics
  9. Oxidative Stress3,515▲ 1.19×63 topics
  10. Quality of Life3,402▲ 1.31×58 topics
  11. Environmental Impact3,365◆ 1.10×72 topics
  12. Heat Transfer3,190▲ 3.6×20 topics
  13. Biomedical Applications3,145▲ 1.48×36 topics
  14. COVID-192,875▲ 1.23×33 topics
  15. Graphene2,614▲ 2.2×12 topics
  16. Nanocomposites2,530▲ 1.79×22 topics
  17. Supply Chain Management2,398▲ 1.49×26 topics
  18. Antioxidant2,358▲ 1.92×51 topics
  19. Synthesis1,863▲ 2.8×37 topics
  20. Toxicity1,816▲ 2.3×20 topics
  21. Nanostructures1,774▲ 2.4×17 topics
  22. IoT Security1,724▲ 3.1×3 topics
  23. Smart Cities1,649▲ 3.5×8 topics
  24. Water Splitting1,646▲ 2.5×4 topics
  25. Experimental Investigation1,634▲ 8.8×5 topics
  26. Nonlinear Equations1,616▲ 7.0×6 topics
  27. Applications1,601▲ 3.3×8 topics
  28. Solar Energy1,585▲ 2.8×5 topics
  29. Antimicrobial1,475▲ 2.9×14 topics
  30. Green Synthesis1,351▲ 4.0×5 topics
  31. Thermal Conductivity1,290▲ 4.5×8 topics
  32. Nanofluids1,272▲ 8.6×2 topics
  33. Review1,231▲ 5.7×5 topics
  34. Viscosity1,059▲ 8.3×4 topics
  35. Convective Transport1,015▲ 12×1 topic
  36. Enhancement1,015▲ 12×1 topic
  37. Fractional Calculus1,005▲ 9.9×2 topics
  38. Anomalous Diffusion942▲ 9.4×2 topics
  39. Homotopy Analysis Method910▲ 11×1 topic
  40. Random Walk910▲ 11×1 topic

Size is fractional works in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of the side's work against its share of the world's. Each word links to the topic it comes from most.

How has their output grown?

Brazil has out-published Saudi Arabia every year since 1980.

still counting100k200k300kBrazil170k in 2025Saudi Arabia45k in 20251990200020102020

Fractional works per year.

Their share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share, because all of science grows. Each line is a side as a percentage of every work published that year.

still counting2.0%4.0%6.0%Brazil2.9% in 2025Saudi Arabia0.76% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

The share of each side's works, year by year, that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. The average of all institutions is 10.0% (why not 10%).

still counting10%20%Saudi Arabia15.0% in 2025Brazil6.5% in 2025200020102020

A year with under 1% of the side's peak output is left out: a rate over a handful of papers says nothing. The latest years are still being cited.

Who holds more of the world's best institutions?

A country's average quality and the number of institutions it holds at the very top can disagree, and both are worth knowing. The counts are nested: an institution in the top 50 is also in the top 100.

Brazil 23 level0 Saudi Arabia
  1. 0In the world top 500
  2. 0In the top 1000
  3. 1In the top 5001
  4. 5In the top 1,0002
  5. #30Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#34

Institutions ranked on research quality, 2022-now. Elite capacity counts a country's institutions by their worldwide rank, weighted so a place at #1 counts for more than one at #480.

Which publishes more research, Brazil or Saudi Arabia?

Brazil publishes 4.5× as much research as Saudi Arabia in 2022-now (703k against 156k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, Brazil or Saudi Arabia?

14.4% of Saudi Arabia's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 6.4% for Brazil.

Is Brazil or Saudi Arabia growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +72% against 2018-21 for Saudi Arabia, and -8% for Brazil.

Which has more open access research, Brazil or Saudi Arabia?

69% of Brazil's research is free to read, against 57% of Saudi Arabia's.

Which has more world-class institutions, Brazil or Saudi Arabia?

Brazil holds 0 of the world's top 100 research institutions and Saudi Arabia 0; in the top 1,000 it is 5 against 2.

Which institutions lead in each country?

The highest-ranked institutions on each side on research quality, 2022-now. The percentage is each institution's own top-10% rate: the share of its works that are among the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. Every figure stands alone, so they do not add up to 100%.

Brazil

  1. 1Universidade de São Paulo7.3% top 10% · 42k works
  2. 2Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)8.0% top 10% · 16k works
  3. 3Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro7.0% top 10% · 16k works
  4. 4Universidade Federal de Pernambuco6.1% top 10% · 10k works
  5. 5Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina7.1% top 10% · 14k works
  6. 6Universidade Federal de São Carlos7.3% top 10% · 8k works

Saudi Arabia

  1. 1King Abdullah University of Science and Technology17.4% top 10% · 5.7k works
  2. 2King Abdulaziz University13.8% top 10% · 11k works
  3. 3University of Business and Technology22.6% top 10% · 2k works
  4. 4King Saud University14.1% top 10% · 20k works
  5. 5Ministry of Education19.1% top 10% · 655 works
  6. 6King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals16.9% top 10% · 7.2k works

The number is the rank inside the country. The track on each row is the top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below. The ranking is the quality score, which compares the rate with what each institution's own topics predict and adds a small reward for size, so the rates do not fall in order.

Who are the top researchers on each side?

The most cited researchers on each side, among those ranked.

Brazil

  1. 1 Cesar Augusto Costa #1,403 worldwide 92k citations · 285 works
  2. 2 M. Constancio #1,669 worldwide 67k citations · 138 works
  3. 3 Amanda Lange Sálvia #2,241 worldwide 7.4k citations · 432 works
  4. 4 E. C. Ferreira #3,093 worldwide 73k citations · 138 works
  5. 5 Marcos Roberto Tovani‐Palone #5,134 worldwide 120k citations · 231 works

Saudi Arabia

  1. 1 Xuping Sun #352 worldwide 82k citations · 678 works
  2. 2 Arunodaya Raj Mishra #507 worldwide 9.8k citations · 215 works
  3. 3 Osman M. Bakr #703 worldwide 62k citations · 539 works
  4. 4 Mohamed Eddaoudi #1,507 worldwide 97k citations · 772 works
  5. 5 Pratibha Rani #1,724 worldwide 8.6k citations · 204 works

Other comparisons

Compare any two