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China vs Libya

On research quality in 2022-now, China ranks #2 in the world and Libya #188, of 189 countries. China stands higher in 26 of the 26 fields both publish in, Libya in 0.

Research profiles alike: -0.12different 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.

Libya

World rank, 2022-now
#188
#201 all time
Works, 2022-now
6.9k
fractional
Top-10% rate
3.6%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
70%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: General Dentistry, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, Drug Discovery.

Who leads, measure by measure?

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

China 63 Libya
  1. #2Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#188
  2. 1.20×Excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected0.35×
  3. 4MOutputfractional works, 2022-now6.9k
  4. 13.3%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited3.6%
  5. 14.0Citations per workall time, per fractional work5.5
  6. 31World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1000
  7. 30%Open accessof its works free to read, all time70%
  8. 12%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time27%
  9. +62%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change+79%

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 26 of 26 fields, Libya in 0. China leads most in Medicine (#2 against #152). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

China 260 Libya
  1. #1Agricultural and Biological Sciences#123
  2. #6Arts and Humanities-
  3. #2Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#104
  4. #2Business, Management and Accounting-
  5. #1Chemical Engineering-
  6. #1Chemistry-
  7. #2Computer Science#126
  8. #2Decision Sciences-
  9. #1Dentistry#61
  10. #2Earth and Planetary Sciences-
  11. #2Economics, Econometrics and Finance-
  12. #1Energy-
  13. #1Engineering#125
  14. #1Environmental Science#121
  15. #2Health Professions-
  16. #2Immunology and Microbiology-
  17. #1Materials Science-
  18. #3Mathematics-
  19. #2Medicine#152
  20. #2Neuroscience-
  21. #1Nursing-
  22. #1Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics-
  23. #2Physics and Astronomy-
  24. #2Psychology-
  25. #2Social Sciences#147
  26. #2Veterinary-

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 rankLibya rank China top 10%Libya top 10% China worksLibya works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #1 #123 17.3% 2.9% 157k 477
Arts and Humanities #6 - 14.8% - 24k -
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #2 #104 12.4% 2.3% 297k 277
Business, Management and Accounting #2 - 14.1% - 67k -
Chemical Engineering #1 - 13.2% - 27k -
Chemistry #1 - 13.0% - 98k -
Computer Science #2 #126 11.7% 3.4% 406k 549
Decision Sciences #2 - 13.4% - 31k -
Dentistry #1 #61 18.1% 1.1% 9.7k 208
Earth and Planetary Sciences #2 - 12.7% - 84k -
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #2 - 15.0% - 55k -
Energy #1 - 12.2% - 70k -
Engineering #1 #125 12.9% 3.9% 1.1M 1.1k
Environmental Science #1 #121 13.9% 3.8% 238k 329
Health Professions #2 - 18.2% - 27k -
Immunology and Microbiology #2 - 12.3% - 48k -
Materials Science #1 - 13.0% - 275k -
Mathematics #3 - 11.1% - 38k -
Medicine #2 #152 14.0% 2.3% 583k 1.6k
Neuroscience #2 - 13.1% - 62k -
Nursing #1 - 17.8% - 17k -
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #1 - 15.8% - 15k -
Physics and Astronomy #2 - 11.6% - 102k -
Psychology #2 - 16.6% - 54k -
Social Sciences #2 #147 14.5% 6.5% 124k 640
Veterinary #2 - 20.0% - 2.1k -

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

Libya

▲ 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. Epidemiology484▲ 1.44×134 topics
  2. Machine Learning381▲ 1.35×92 topics
  3. Deep Learning291◆ 1.00×77 topics
  4. Inflammation220▲ 1.23×83 topics
  5. Renewable Energy207▲ 1.69×49 topics
  6. Environmental Impact185▲ 1.28×57 topics
  7. Oxidative Stress171▲ 1.23×60 topics
  8. Cardiovascular Disease162▲ 1.68×38 topics
  9. COVID-19158▲ 1.43×30 topics
  10. Quality of Life157▲ 1.29×49 topics
  11. Antioxidant145▲ 2.5×50 topics
  12. Antioxidant Activity143▲ 2.7×32 topics
  13. Metabolic Syndrome126▲ 1.84×23 topics
  14. Culture109▲ 2.5×11 topics
  15. Literature108▲ 2.3×16 topics
  16. Islam103▲ 5.9×5 topics
  17. Diabetes103▲ 2.4×21 topics
  18. Ethnicity103▲ 3.3×8 topics
  19. Philosophy101▲ 2.7×8 topics
  20. Medicinal Plants101▲ 3.1×19 topics
  21. Science100▲ 4.8×5 topics
  22. Social Influence99▲ 5.6×3 topics
  23. Sharia Law98▲ 8.1×2 topics
  24. Malay Language98▲ 8.2×1 topic
  25. Prevention94▲ 2.6×16 topics
  26. Language Teaching93▲ 4.1×8 topics
  27. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles88▲ 5.5×4 topics
  28. Legal Regulation87▲ 4.6×8 topics
  29. Design86▲ 6.2×5 topics
  30. Strategic Planning86▲ 6.9×3 topics
  31. Economic Security85▲ 4.8×5 topics
  32. Modernization83▲ 5.4×2 topics
  33. Public Oversight83▲ 8.0×1 topic
  34. Transport Policy83▲ 8.0×1 topic
  35. Foresight82▲ 7.5×2 topics
  36. Air Force82▲ 8.2×1 topic
  37. Warfare82▲ 8.2×1 topic
  38. Infection Control55▲ 7.8×2 topics
  39. Corrective Feedback55▲ 8.7×1 topic
  40. L2 Motivation55▲ 8.7×1 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?

China has out-published Libya every year since 1980.

still counting500k1M1.5MChina1.2M in 2025Libya2,616 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 2025Libya0.044% 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 2025Libya3.3% 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 Libya
  1. 14In the world top 500
  2. 31In the top 1000
  3. 120In the top 5000
  4. 243In the top 1,0000
  5. #2Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#51

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 Libya?

China publishes 584.6× as much research as Libya in 2022-now (4M against 6.9k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, China or Libya?

13.3% of China's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 3.6% for Libya.

Is China or Libya growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +79% against 2018-21 for Libya, and +62% for China.

Which has more open access research, China or Libya?

70% of Libya's research is free to read, against 30% of China's.

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

China holds 31 of the world's top 100 research institutions and Libya 0; in the top 1,000 it is 243 against 0.

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

Libya

  1. 1Al Zawiya University5.6% top 10% · 616 works
  2. 2Misurata University3.6% top 10% · 557 works
  3. 3University Elmergib4.1% top 10% · 366 works
  4. 4Libyan Academy5.6% top 10% · 359 works
  5. 5Omar Al-Mukhtar University2.9% top 10% · 625 works
  6. 6Sebha University3.9% top 10% · 458 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

Libya

  1. 1 Muhammed Elhadi #5,131 worldwide 74k citations · 402 works
  2. 2 Ali Meftah Gerged #84,887 worldwide 3.5k citations · 89 works
  3. 3 Ibrahim Ahmed Badi #145,525 worldwide 2.3k citations · 100 works
  4. 4 Yasser Fathi Nassar #226,826 worldwide 4.4k citations · 136 works
  5. 5 Rabia Emhamed Al Mamlook #245,678 worldwide 2.3k citations · 88 works

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