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China vs France

On research quality in 2022-now, China ranks #2 in the world and France #5, of 189 countries. China stands higher in 25 of the 26 fields both publish in, France in 1.

Research profiles alike: -0.24different shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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China

World rank, 2022-now
#2
#2 all time
Works, 2022-now
4M
fractional
Top-10% rate
13.3%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
30%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: General Engineering, Acoustics and Ultrasonics, Catalysis.

France

World rank, 2022-now
#5
#5 all time
Works, 2022-now
553k
fractional
Top-10% rate
8.4%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
36%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Industrial relations, History and Philosophy of Science, Anthropology.

Who leads, measure by measure?

China leads on 6 of 9 measures: research quality, excellence for its fields, output, top-10% rate, institutions in the world top 100 and growth. France leads on 3 of 9 measures: citations per work, open access and international co-authorship.

China 63 France
  1. #2Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#5
  2. 1.20×Excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.09×
  3. 4MOutputfractional works, 2022-now553k
  4. 13.3%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited8.4%
  5. 14.0Citations per workall time, per fractional work21.4
  6. 31World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1003
  7. 30%Open accessof its works free to read, all time36%
  8. 12%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time23%
  9. +62%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change-2%

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?

China stands higher in 25 of 26 fields, France in 1. China leads most in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (#1 against #11); France leads most in Arts and Humanities (#4 against #6). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

China 251 France
  1. #1Agricultural and Biological Sciences#5
  2. #6Arts and Humanities#4
  3. #2Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#6
  4. #2Business, Management and Accounting#6
  5. #1Chemical Engineering#7
  6. #1Chemistry#8
  7. #2Computer Science#10
  8. #2Decision Sciences#9
  9. #1Dentistry#9
  10. #2Earth and Planetary Sciences#4
  11. #2Economics, Econometrics and Finance#5
  12. #1Energy#13
  13. #1Engineering#10
  14. #1Environmental Science#7
  15. #2Health Professions#7
  16. #2Immunology and Microbiology#5
  17. #1Materials Science#9
  18. #3Mathematics#5
  19. #2Medicine#5
  20. #2Neuroscience#5
  21. #1Nursing#10
  22. #1Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics#11
  23. #2Physics and Astronomy#5
  24. #2Psychology#7
  25. #2Social Sciences#5
  26. #2Veterinary#4

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 China rankFrance rank China top 10%France top 10% China worksFrance works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #1 #5 17.3% 8.4% 157k 22k
Arts and Humanities #6 #4 14.8% 6.0% 24k 43k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #2 #6 12.4% 9.6% 297k 29k
Business, Management and Accounting #2 #6 14.1% 9.5% 67k 11k
Chemical Engineering #1 #7 13.2% 6.8% 27k 1.9k
Chemistry #1 #8 13.0% 7.5% 98k 9.2k
Computer Science #2 #10 11.7% 7.2% 406k 33k
Decision Sciences #2 #9 13.4% 8.6% 31k 3.9k
Dentistry #1 #9 18.1% 13.1% 9.7k 1k
Earth and Planetary Sciences #2 #4 12.7% 10.0% 84k 13k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #2 #5 15.0% 9.0% 55k 10k
Energy #1 #13 12.2% 6.9% 70k 3.3k
Engineering #1 #10 12.9% 7.1% 1.1M 65k
Environmental Science #1 #7 13.9% 8.8% 238k 24k
Health Professions #2 #7 18.2% 8.6% 27k 19k
Immunology and Microbiology #2 #5 12.3% 11.0% 48k 6k
Materials Science #1 #9 13.0% 6.8% 275k 18k
Mathematics #3 #5 11.1% 8.8% 38k 9.4k
Medicine #2 #5 14.0% 11.0% 583k 96k
Neuroscience #2 #5 13.1% 9.0% 62k 9.5k
Nursing #1 #10 17.8% 9.0% 17k 1.5k
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #1 #11 15.8% 7.9% 15k 1.3k
Physics and Astronomy #2 #5 11.6% 9.8% 102k 21k
Psychology #2 #7 16.6% 8.5% 54k 14k
Social Sciences #2 #5 14.5% 7.1% 124k 87k
Veterinary #2 #4 20.0% 8.9% 2.1k 940

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.

China

▲ 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. Deep Learning294k▲ 1.85×85 topics
  2. Machine Learning186k▲ 1.21×97 topics
  3. Neural Networks133k▲ 1.87×42 topics
  4. Inflammation123k▲ 1.25×83 topics
  5. Epidemiology112k▼ 0.61×140 topics
  6. Climate Change110k◆ 0.87×132 topics
  7. Cancer109k▲ 1.76×59 topics
  8. Nanoparticles103k▲ 1.77×44 topics
  9. Nanomaterials102k▲ 2.1×21 topics
  10. Biomedical Applications100k▲ 1.84×36 topics
  11. Oxidative Stress100k▲ 1.31×63 topics
  12. Remote Sensing87k▲ 1.55×42 topics
  13. Mechanical Properties87k▲ 1.92×39 topics
  14. Renewable Energy86k▲ 1.29×61 topics
  15. Environmental Impact86k◆ 1.09×74 topics
  16. Energy Storage78k▲ 2.6×13 topics
  17. Graphene72k▲ 2.3×12 topics
  18. Nanocomposites71k▲ 1.95×22 topics
  19. Catalysis69k▲ 2.2×29 topics
  20. Convolutional Neural Networks63k▲ 1.87×14 topics
  21. Energy Efficiency59k▲ 1.39×46 topics
  22. Gene Expression57k▲ 1.96×20 topics
  23. Internet of Things55k▲ 1.39×33 topics
  24. Metal-Organic Frameworks53k▲ 2.8×6 topics
  25. Cathode Materials53k▲ 3.0×3 topics
  26. Microstructure51k▲ 2.1×19 topics
  27. Water Splitting46k▲ 2.7×4 topics
  28. Drug Delivery46k▲ 1.81×16 topics
  29. Lithium-ion Batteries43k▲ 2.3×4 topics
  30. Biosensors43k▲ 1.91×12 topics
  31. Tumor Microenvironment43k▲ 2.1×8 topics
  32. Wireless Sensor Networks39k▲ 1.90×23 topics
  33. Semiconductor37k▲ 2.5×7 topics
  34. Electrocatalysis37k▲ 2.8×5 topics
  35. Rechargeable Batteries36k▲ 3.0×2 topics
  36. Reactive Oxygen Species36k▲ 1.90×14 topics
  37. Smart Grid34k▲ 2.1×10 topics
  38. Battery Technology33k▲ 2.6×3 topics
  39. Hydrogen Production31k▲ 2.5×6 topics
  40. CO2 Reduction29k▲ 2.9×2 topics

France

▲ 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. Epidemiology23k◆ 0.94×140 topics
  2. Climate Change21k▲ 1.27×132 topics
  3. Community Engagement18k▲ 8.8×22 topics
  4. Globalization17k▲ 1.41×183 topics
  5. Territorial Governance17k▲ 24×4 topics
  6. Local Development17k▲ 26×2 topics
  7. Public Policy16k▲ 5.5×34 topics
  8. Social Justice16k▲ 4.3×54 topics
  9. Sustainable Development15k▲ 1.61×112 topics
  10. Citizen Participation12k▲ 17×3 topics
  11. Environmental Participation12k▲ 27×1 topic
  12. Proximity and Innovation12k▲ 27×1 topic
  13. Gender12k▲ 3.5×58 topics
  14. Identity10k▲ 2.3×80 topics
  15. Colonialism10k▲ 3.5×52 topics
  16. Gender Studies9,456▲ 10×21 topics
  17. Religion8,358▲ 3.0×43 topics
  18. Migration7,917▲ 3.8×35 topics
  19. Social Determinants of Health7,616▲ 5.8×8 topics
  20. Palliative Care6,525▲ 7.0×6 topics
  21. Sociolinguistics5,988▲ 5.4×9 topics
  22. Ethnographic Research5,976▲ 20×4 topics
  23. Educational Policies5,958▲ 9.1×3 topics
  24. Sociological Analysis5,893▲ 17×4 topics
  25. Professional Practices5,871▲ 27×1 topic
  26. Public Action5,871▲ 27×1 topic
  27. Citizenship5,714▲ 7.7×13 topics
  28. Medical Ethics5,604▲ 7.3×7 topics
  29. Social Innovation5,531▲ 5.9×13 topics
  30. End-of-Life Care5,497▲ 8.0×4 topics
  31. Psychological Trauma5,468▲ 15×2 topics
  32. Institutionalization5,436▲ 9.6×5 topics
  33. Patient Rights5,417▲ 13×2 topics
  34. Ethical Practices5,400▲ 15×2 topics
  35. Healthcare Legislation5,398▲ 16×1 topic
  36. Professional Responsibility5,398▲ 16×1 topic
  37. Cooperatives5,210▲ 12×4 topics
  38. Solidarity Economy5,116▲ 15×2 topics
  39. Participative Evaluation5,000▲ 25×1 topic
  40. Healthcare Quality Indicators4,706▲ 13×2 topics

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?

China has out-published France every year since 2001, when it overtook it.

still counting500k1M1.5MChina1.2M in 2025France127k 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 counting10%20%30%China20% in 2025France2.2% 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 counting5%10%15%China13.2% in 2025France9.0% 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.

China 50 France
  1. 14In the world top 501
  2. 31In the top 1003
  3. 120In the top 50017
  4. 243In the top 1,00034
  5. #2Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#5

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, China or France?

China publishes 7.3× as much research as France in 2022-now (4M against 553k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, China or France?

13.3% of China's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 8.4% for France.

Is China or France growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +62% against 2018-21 for China, and -2% for France.

Which has more open access research, China or France?

36% of France's research is free to read, against 30% of China's.

Which has more world-class institutions, China or France?

China holds 31 of the world's top 100 research institutions and France 3; in the top 1,000 it is 243 against 34.

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%.

China

  1. 1Chinese Academy of Sciences15.2% top 10% · 167k works
  2. 2Tsinghua University16.6% top 10% · 48k works
  3. 3Peking University15.3% top 10% · 42k works
  4. 4Shanghai Jiao Tong University15.2% top 10% · 60k works
  5. 5Zhejiang University16.1% top 10% · 56k works
  6. 6University of Hong Kong18.4% top 10% · 19k works

France

  1. 1Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique7.9% top 10% · 152k works
  2. 2Université Paris Cité10.8% top 10% · 16k works
  3. 3Inserm12.4% top 10% · 23k works
  4. 4Sorbonne Université9.5% top 10% · 14k works
  5. 5Université Paris-Saclay9.3% top 10% · 13k works
  6. 6Université de Lyon7.6% top 10% · 13k 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.

China

  1. 1 Guangmin Zhou #16 worldwide 61k citations · 443 works
  2. 2 Shilong Piao #28 worldwide 114k citations · 791 works
  3. 3 Jiaguo Yu #35 worldwide 207k citations · 1,086 works
  4. 4 Caijun Shi #42 worldwide 52k citations · 448 works
  5. 5 Zirui Jia #48 worldwide 21k citations · 181 works

France

  1. 1 M. Haney #88 worldwide 80k citations · 220 works
  2. 2 L. Aiello #106 worldwide 79k citations · 219 works
  3. 3 M. Masso‐Reid #137 worldwide 74k citations · 171 works
  4. 4 C. V. Kalaghatgi #142 worldwide 79k citations · 198 works
  5. 5 G. Carullo #183 worldwide 39k citations · 199 works

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