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China vs South Korea

On research quality in 2022-now, China ranks #2 in the world and South Korea #14, of 189 countries. China stands higher in 26 of the 26 fields both publish in, South Korea in 0.

Research profiles alike: 0.76very similar 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.

South Korea

World rank, 2022-now
#14
#15 all time
Works, 2022-now
358k
fractional
Top-10% rate
10.5%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
43%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Leadership and Management, Polymers and Plastics, Electrical and Electronic Engineering.

Who leads, measure by measure?

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

China 63 South Korea
  1. #2Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#14
  2. 1.20×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected0.94×
  3. 4MOutputfractional works, 2022-now358k
  4. 13.3%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited10.5%
  5. 14.0Citations per workall time, per fractional work18.2
  6. 31World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1000
  7. 30%Open accessof its works free to read, all time43%
  8. 12%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time17%
  9. +62%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change+7%

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, citation excellence and the top-10% rate are explained in the methodology.

Who leads in each field?

China stands higher in 26 of 26 fields, South Korea in 0. China leads most in Veterinary (#2 against #20). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

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

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 rankSouth Korea rank China top 10%South Korea top 10% China worksSouth Korea works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #1 #15 17.3% 9.8% 157k 13k
Arts and Humanities #6 #24 14.8% 13.8% 24k 2.6k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #2 #18 12.4% 9.4% 297k 25k
Business, Management and Accounting #2 #13 14.1% 14.2% 67k 5.5k
Chemical Engineering #1 #14 13.2% 10.9% 27k 2.1k
Chemistry #1 #10 13.0% 10.3% 98k 5.3k
Computer Science #2 #7 11.7% 12.0% 406k 30k
Decision Sciences #2 #12 13.4% 14.1% 31k 2.5k
Dentistry #1 #13 18.1% 11.8% 9.7k 2.3k
Earth and Planetary Sciences #2 #16 12.7% 8.0% 84k 4.2k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #2 #15 15.0% 10.1% 55k 4.2k
Energy #1 #3 12.2% 9.4% 70k 4.8k
Engineering #1 #7 12.9% 10.6% 1.1M 78k
Environmental Science #1 #16 13.9% 9.3% 238k 15k
Health Professions #2 #14 18.2% 12.4% 27k 6.2k
Immunology and Microbiology #2 #19 12.3% 8.8% 48k 4k
Materials Science #1 #7 13.0% 10.0% 275k 22k
Mathematics #3 #8 11.1% 11.0% 38k 3.2k
Medicine #2 #14 14.0% 10.2% 583k 87k
Neuroscience #2 #11 13.1% 10.7% 62k 7.6k
Nursing #1 #6 17.8% 11.6% 17k 2.7k
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #1 #5 15.8% 10.2% 15k 1.7k
Physics and Astronomy #2 #16 11.6% 9.0% 102k 7.6k
Psychology #2 #19 16.6% 11.1% 54k 7.8k
Social Sciences #2 #23 14.5% 12.2% 124k 15k
Veterinary #2 #20 20.0% 9.3% 2.1k 483

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

South Korea

▲ 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 Learning19k▲ 1.34×85 topics
  2. Epidemiology17k◆ 1.08×140 topics
  3. Inflammation13k▲ 1.46×83 topics
  4. Machine Learning13k◆ 0.93×97 topics
  5. Neural Networks9,068▲ 1.45×42 topics
  6. Oxidative Stress8,834▲ 1.33×63 topics
  7. Biomedical Applications8,345▲ 1.74×36 topics
  8. Nanomaterials8,320▲ 1.96×21 topics
  9. Cancer7,324▲ 1.34×59 topics
  10. Climate Change7,116▼ 0.65×131 topics
  11. Nanoparticles6,924▲ 1.36×44 topics
  12. Quality of Life6,876▲ 1.18×60 topics
  13. Energy Storage6,776▲ 2.6×13 topics
  14. Cardiovascular Disease6,255▲ 1.35×39 topics
  15. Nanocomposites5,958▲ 1.86×22 topics
  16. Environmental Impact5,782▼ 0.84×74 topics
  17. Graphene5,561▲ 2.0×12 topics
  18. Treatment5,456◆ 1.11×52 topics
  19. Cathode Materials5,347▲ 3.4×3 topics
  20. Tissue Engineering4,826▲ 1.96×13 topics
  21. Mechanical Properties4,572◆ 1.15×39 topics
  22. Energy Efficiency4,508▲ 1.20×46 topics
  23. Convolutional Neural Networks4,412▲ 1.50×14 topics
  24. Lithium-ion Batteries4,326▲ 2.6×4 topics
  25. Chemotherapy4,259▲ 1.48×25 topics
  26. Metabolic Syndrome4,209▲ 1.28×24 topics
  27. Metal-Organic Frameworks3,979▲ 2.4×6 topics
  28. Rechargeable Batteries3,606▲ 3.4×2 topics
  29. Biosensors3,421▲ 1.72×12 topics
  30. Nanostructures3,336▲ 2.0×17 topics
  31. Water Splitting3,319▲ 2.2×4 topics
  32. Semiconductors3,103▲ 2.6×6 topics
  33. Flexible Electronics2,974▲ 4.3×3 topics
  34. Nanocrystals2,774▲ 2.6×5 topics
  35. Self-Efficacy2,756▲ 2.6×11 topics
  36. Solar Cells2,495▲ 3.0×7 topics
  37. Energy Harvesting2,420▲ 3.3×3 topics
  38. Battery Materials2,322▲ 3.5×1 topic
  39. Nanostructured Anodes2,322▲ 3.5×1 topic
  40. Neuromorphic Computing2,178▲ 4.7×2 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 South Korea every year since 1980.

still counting500k1M1.5MChina1.2M in 2025South Korea93k 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 2025South Korea1.6% 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 2025South Korea11.0% 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 South Korea
  1. 14In the world top 500
  2. 31In the top 1000
  3. 120In the top 5009
  4. 243In the top 1,00022
  5. #2Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#12

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 South Korea?

China publishes 11.3× as much research as South Korea in 2022-now (4M against 358k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, China or South Korea?

13.3% of China's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 10.5% for South Korea.

Is China or South Korea growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +62% against 2018-21 for China, and +7% for South Korea.

Which has more open access research, China or South Korea?

43% of South Korea's research is free to read, against 30% of China's.

Which has more world-class institutions, China or South Korea?

China holds 31 of the world's top 100 research institutions and South Korea 0; in the top 1,000 it is 243 against 22.

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

South Korea

  1. 1Seoul National University11.1% top 10% · 24k works
  2. 2Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology14.1% top 10% · 9.8k works
  3. 3Yonsei University12.4% top 10% · 19k works
  4. 4Sungkyunkwan University12.0% top 10% · 14k works
  5. 5Korea University13.0% top 10% · 12k works
  6. 6Pohang University of Science and Technology13.4% top 10% · 4.4k 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

South Korea

  1. 1 Jaephil Cho #242 worldwide 73k citations · 550 works
  2. 2 Taeghwan Hyeon #270 worldwide 112k citations · 685 works
  3. 3 Yang‐Kook Sun #542 worldwide 98k citations · 1,172 works
  4. 4 Kisuk Kang #565 worldwide 55k citations · 492 works
  5. 5 Dae‐Hyeong Kim #606 worldwide 55k citations · 311 works

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