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Finland vs Sweden

On research quality in 2022-now, Sweden ranks #12 in the world and Finland #22, of 189 countries. Finland stands higher in 0 of the 26 fields both publish in, Sweden in 26.

Research profiles alike: 0.69similar shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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Finland

World rank, 2022-now
#22
#22 all time
Works, 2022-now
70k
fractional
Top-10% rate
12.9%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
43%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Public Administration, Research and Theory, Music.

Sweden

World rank, 2022-now
#12
#12 all time
Works, 2022-now
121k
fractional
Top-10% rate
13.6%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
41%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Public Administration, Research and Theory, Equine.

Who leads, measure by measure?

Sweden leads on 5 of 9 measures: research quality, citation excellence for its fields, output, top-10% rate and citations per work. Finland leads on 2 of 9 measures: open access and growth. The two are level on institutions in the world top 100 and international co-authorship.

Finland 22 level5 Sweden
  1. #22Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#12
  2. 1.21×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.28×
  3. 70kOutputfractional works, 2022-now121k
  4. 12.9%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited13.6%
  5. 27.6Citations per workall time, per fractional work32.8
  6. 0World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1000
  7. 43%Open accessof its works free to read, all time41%
  8. 26%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time27%
  9. +2%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change+1%

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?

Finland stands higher in 0 of 26 fields, Sweden in 26. Sweden leads most in Chemical Engineering (#16 against #24). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

Finland 026 Sweden
  1. #22Agricultural and Biological Sciences#12
  2. #18Arts and Humanities#13
  3. #20Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#11
  4. #16Business, Management and Accounting#12
  5. #24Chemical Engineering#16
  6. #26Chemistry#19
  7. #20Computer Science#14
  8. #19Decision Sciences#10
  9. #23Dentistry#14
  10. #22Earth and Planetary Sciences#12
  11. #24Economics, Econometrics and Finance#12
  12. #19Energy#18
  13. #19Engineering#14
  14. #22Environmental Science#11
  15. #21Health Professions#11
  16. #20Immunology and Microbiology#14
  17. #19Materials Science#15
  18. #22Mathematics#11
  19. #21Medicine#10
  20. #21Neuroscience#13
  21. #17Nursing#13
  22. -Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics#15
  23. #22Physics and Astronomy#13
  24. #16Psychology#11
  25. #17Social Sciences#11
  26. -Veterinary#10

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 Finland rankSweden rank Finland top 10%Sweden top 10% Finland worksSweden works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #22 #12 14.0% 15.3% 2.1k 3.3k
Arts and Humanities #18 #13 15.0% 15.9% 3k 3.5k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #20 #11 11.5% 12.7% 3.2k 7k
Business, Management and Accounting #16 #12 17.1% 16.2% 2.8k 3.4k
Chemical Engineering #24 #16 8.9% 10.2% 209 362
Chemistry #26 #19 9.6% 10.7% 667 1.3k
Computer Science #20 #14 13.0% 12.3% 5.5k 8k
Decision Sciences #19 #10 14.4% 12.6% 813 1.2k
Dentistry #23 #14 13.2% 17.4% 373 501
Earth and Planetary Sciences #22 #12 11.2% 13.1% 1.1k 1.8k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #24 #12 12.2% 13.1% 1.2k 2.2k
Energy #19 #18 12.9% 12.0% 475 793
Engineering #19 #14 11.6% 11.6% 9.1k 16k
Environmental Science #22 #11 12.4% 12.9% 4.3k 6.6k
Health Professions #21 #11 11.6% 13.7% 2.3k 4.1k
Immunology and Microbiology #20 #14 11.7% 12.1% 473 1.5k
Materials Science #19 #15 10.3% 10.6% 1.7k 3.2k
Mathematics #22 #11 12.8% 11.4% 735 1.4k
Medicine #21 #10 13.5% 14.9% 11k 27k
Neuroscience #21 #13 11.6% 11.6% 1.2k 2.5k
Nursing #17 #13 13.8% 14.8% 299 523
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics - #15 - 12.6% - 260
Physics and Astronomy #22 #13 10.9% 12.7% 1.6k 3.3k
Psychology #16 #11 13.8% 12.9% 3.5k 5.6k
Social Sciences #17 #11 13.4% 15.7% 13k 16k
Veterinary - #10 - 14.0% - 255

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.

Finland

▲ 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. Education3,577▲ 2.6×146 topics
  2. Healthcare3,177▲ 3.5×41 topics
  3. Ethics3,174▲ 7.8×57 topics
  4. Climate Change3,133▲ 1.44×128 topics
  5. Qualitative Research2,935▲ 4.3×42 topics
  6. Pedagogy2,767▲ 6.9×30 topics
  7. Communication2,716▲ 11×23 topics
  8. Epidemiology2,620▼ 0.82×140 topics
  9. Social Sciences2,571▲ 22×19 topics
  10. Phenomenology2,562▲ 30×5 topics
  11. Sustainability2,451▲ 1.25×130 topics
  12. Family Dynamics2,440▲ 24×8 topics
  13. Work Environment2,421▲ 171×2 topics
  14. Machine Learning2,389◆ 0.90×94 topics
  15. Deep Learning2,063▼ 0.75×84 topics
  16. Globalization1,975▲ 1.25×175 topics
  17. Mental Health1,474▲ 1.29×47 topics
  18. Inflammation1,451▼ 0.85×83 topics
  19. Public Health1,335◆ 1.14×74 topics
  20. Environmental Impact1,291◆ 0.94×70 topics
  21. Cardiovascular Disease1,212▲ 1.33×39 topics
  22. Renewable Energy1,211◆ 1.04×59 topics
  23. Social Media1,105◆ 1.00×41 topics
  24. Quality of Life1,084◆ 0.94×61 topics
  25. Big Data1,031▲ 1.35×36 topics
  26. Artificial Intelligence1,017◆ 0.89×63 topics
  27. Energy Efficiency881▲ 1.19×45 topics
  28. Remote Sensing880◆ 0.90×42 topics
  29. Innovation865◆ 1.05×84 topics
  30. Depression810◆ 1.15×25 topics
  31. Biodiversity752▲ 1.23×38 topics
  32. Identity708▲ 1.22×75 topics
  33. Health Effects691▲ 1.42×24 topics
  34. Social Capital686▲ 1.65×21 topics
  35. Well-being637▲ 2.0×14 topics
  36. Social Interaction628▲ 2.0×11 topics
  37. Biodiversity Conservation609▲ 2.0×22 topics
  38. Physical Activity603▲ 1.55×13 topics
  39. Neoliberalism593▲ 2.1×29 topics
  40. Participatory Design281▲ 6.6×2 topics

Sweden

▲ 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. Epidemiology6,544▲ 1.18×140 topics
  2. Climate Change4,486▲ 1.19×130 topics
  3. Machine Learning3,820▼ 0.83×95 topics
  4. Sustainability3,715◆ 1.09×137 topics
  5. Inflammation3,539▲ 1.20×83 topics
  6. Deep Learning3,371▼ 0.70×84 topics
  7. Globalization3,192▲ 1.17×178 topics
  8. Quality of Life2,646▲ 1.32×61 topics
  9. Mental Health2,575▲ 1.30×48 topics
  10. Public Health2,428▲ 1.20×74 topics
  11. Cardiovascular Disease2,363▲ 1.49×39 topics
  12. Education2,204◆ 0.92×157 topics
  13. Oxidative Stress2,176◆ 0.95×63 topics
  14. Environmental Impact2,085◆ 0.88×72 topics
  15. Treatment1,949◆ 1.15×52 topics
  16. Renewable Energy1,903◆ 0.95×61 topics
  17. Risk Factors1,892▲ 1.24×37 topics
  18. Depression1,857▲ 1.52×26 topics
  19. Cancer1,618◆ 0.87×59 topics
  20. Qualitative Research1,570▲ 1.33×44 topics
  21. Pedagogy1,566▲ 2.2×30 topics
  22. Genetics1,468▲ 1.49×27 topics
  23. Big Data1,423◆ 1.07×36 topics
  24. Biomarkers1,375▲ 1.42×18 topics
  25. Metabolic Syndrome1,372▲ 1.22×24 topics
  26. Obesity1,261▲ 1.18×29 topics
  27. Global Burden1,216▲ 1.61×12 topics
  28. Health Effects1,214▲ 1.44×24 topics
  29. Anxiety1,175▲ 1.78×12 topics
  30. Ethics1,128▲ 1.60×61 topics
  31. Resilience1,072▲ 1.57×19 topics
  32. Learning985▲ 2.4×17 topics
  33. Social Sciences983▲ 4.9×23 topics
  34. Neoliberalism978▲ 1.95×29 topics
  35. Discourse Analysis974▲ 2.9×11 topics
  36. Prevalence974▲ 1.71×15 topics
  37. Special Education874▲ 11×6 topics
  38. Gender Studies862▲ 4.1×20 topics
  39. Methodology806▲ 12×7 topics
  40. Quantitative Methods780▲ 43×2 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?

Sweden has out-published Finland every year since 1980.

still counting20k40kSweden31k in 2025Finland19k 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 counting0.50%1.0%1.5%Sweden0.53% in 2025Finland0.32% 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%Sweden13.1% in 2025Finland11.8% 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.

Finland 02 level3 Sweden
  1. 0In the world top 500
  2. 0In the top 1000
  3. 5In the top 5009
  4. 8In the top 1,00012
  5. #22Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#14

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, Finland or Sweden?

Sweden publishes 1.7× as much research as Finland in 2022-now (121k against 70k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, Finland or Sweden?

13.6% of Sweden's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 12.9% for Finland.

Is Finland or Sweden growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +2% against 2018-21 for Finland, and +1% for Sweden.

Which has more open access research, Finland or Sweden?

43% of Finland's research is free to read, against 41% of Sweden's.

Which has more world-class institutions, Finland or Sweden?

Finland holds 0 of the world's top 100 research institutions and Sweden 0; in the top 1,000 it is 8 against 12.

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%.

Finland

  1. 1University of Helsinki13.2% top 10% · 15k works
  2. 2Aalto University13.6% top 10% · 6.2k works
  3. 3University of Oulu14.8% top 10% · 5.7k works
  4. 4University of Turku12.1% top 10% · 6.9k works
  5. 5Tampere University12.8% top 10% · 6.4k works
  6. 6University of Jyväskylä13.9% top 10% · 3.7k works

Sweden

  1. 1Karolinska Institutet16.4% top 10% · 12k works
  2. 2Uppsala University13.3% top 10% · 11k works
  3. 3University of Gothenburg14.4% top 10% · 9.8k works
  4. 4Lund University13.0% top 10% · 12k works
  5. 5Stockholm University14.7% top 10% · 7.1k works
  6. 6Chalmers University of Technology12.9% top 10% · 5.3k 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.

Finland

  1. 1 M. Linden-Vørnle #1,674 worldwide 57k citations · 184 works
  2. 2 Tuomo J Meretoja #1,759 worldwide 178k citations · 247 works
  3. 3 A.-S. Suur-Uski #2,517 worldwide 77k citations · 200 works
  4. 4 Atte Meretoja #3,853 worldwide 208k citations · 270 works
  5. 5 Samuli Ripatti #3,897 worldwide 92k citations · 730 works

Sweden

  1. 1 Fredrik Bäckhed #256 worldwide 117k citations · 348 works
  2. 2 Carl Folke #294 worldwide 182k citations · 488 works
  3. 3 Patrik K. E. Magnusson #1,844 worldwide 120k citations · 734 works
  4. 4 Anna Maria Langkilde #2,063 worldwide 23k citations · 310 works
  5. 5 Garry Peterson #2,140 worldwide 33k citations · 234 works

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