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France vs Switzerland

On research quality in 2022-now, France ranks #5 in the world and Switzerland #6, of 189 countries. France stands higher in 17 of the 26 fields both publish in, Switzerland in 9.

Research profiles alike: 0.52similar shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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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.

Switzerland

World rank, 2022-now
#6
#6 all time
Works, 2022-now
142k
fractional
Top-10% rate
13.3%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
47%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Structural Biology, Medical Terminology, Nuclear and High Energy Physics.

Who leads, measure by measure?

Switzerland leads on 7 of 9 measures: excellence for its fields, top-10% rate, citations per work, institutions in the world top 100, open access, international co-authorship and growth. France leads on 2 of 9 measures: research quality and output.

France 27 Switzerland
  1. #5Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#6
  2. 1.09×Excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.42×
  3. 553kOutputfractional works, 2022-now142k
  4. 8.4%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited13.3%
  5. 21.4Citations per workall time, per fractional work31.9
  6. 3World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1005
  7. 36%Open accessof its works free to read, all time47%
  8. 23%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time34%
  9. -2%Growthworks in 2022-25 against 2018-21; half a bar is no change+0%

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?

France stands higher in 17 of 26 fields, Switzerland in 9. France leads most in Veterinary (#4 against #7); Switzerland leads most in Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics (#7 against #11). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

France 179 Switzerland
  1. #5Agricultural and Biological Sciences#8
  2. #4Arts and Humanities#7
  3. #6Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#5
  4. #6Business, Management and Accounting#10
  5. #7Chemical Engineering#9
  6. #8Chemistry#6
  7. #10Computer Science#5
  8. #9Decision Sciences#6
  9. #9Dentistry#5
  10. #4Earth and Planetary Sciences#7
  11. #5Economics, Econometrics and Finance#7
  12. #13Energy#14
  13. #10Engineering#9
  14. #7Environmental Science#6
  15. #7Health Professions#10
  16. #5Immunology and Microbiology#6
  17. #9Materials Science#8
  18. #5Mathematics#7
  19. #5Medicine#8
  20. #5Neuroscience#6
  21. #10Nursing#11
  22. #11Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics#7
  23. #5Physics and Astronomy#6
  24. #7Psychology#8
  25. #5Social Sciences#9
  26. #4Veterinary#7

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 France rankSwitzerland rank France top 10%Switzerland top 10% France worksSwitzerland works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #5 #8 8.4% 15.7% 22k 4k
Arts and Humanities #4 #7 6.0% 11.6% 43k 6.1k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #6 #5 9.6% 13.7% 29k 8.7k
Business, Management and Accounting #6 #10 9.5% 11.3% 11k 4.1k
Chemical Engineering #7 #9 6.8% 9.7% 1.9k 391
Chemistry #8 #6 7.5% 13.2% 9.2k 2.1k
Computer Science #10 #5 7.2% 13.3% 33k 8.7k
Decision Sciences #9 #6 8.6% 13.2% 3.9k 1.4k
Dentistry #9 #5 13.1% 20.4% 1k 833
Earth and Planetary Sciences #4 #7 10.0% 15.0% 13k 2.7k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #5 #7 9.0% 13.3% 10k 3.4k
Energy #13 #14 6.9% 11.8% 3.3k 785
Engineering #10 #9 7.1% 12.2% 65k 15k
Environmental Science #7 #6 8.8% 14.3% 24k 6.2k
Health Professions #7 #10 8.6% 12.8% 19k 4.3k
Immunology and Microbiology #5 #6 11.0% 14.0% 6k 1.8k
Materials Science #9 #8 6.8% 11.8% 18k 3k
Mathematics #5 #7 8.8% 13.7% 9.4k 1.8k
Medicine #5 #8 11.0% 13.7% 96k 35k
Neuroscience #5 #6 9.0% 13.3% 9.5k 3.5k
Nursing #10 #11 9.0% 15.1% 1.5k 498
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #11 #7 7.9% 13.1% 1.3k 395
Physics and Astronomy #5 #6 9.8% 14.6% 21k 5.7k
Psychology #7 #8 8.5% 13.1% 14k 5.5k
Social Sciences #5 #9 7.1% 13.3% 87k 16k
Veterinary #4 #7 8.9% 12.7% 940 392

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.

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

Switzerland

▲ 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. Epidemiology7,969▲ 1.24×140 topics
  2. Climate Change5,217▲ 1.19×130 topics
  3. Machine Learning4,341▼ 0.81×96 topics
  4. Deep Learning3,854▼ 0.69×84 topics
  5. Inflammation3,527◆ 1.02×83 topics
  6. Sustainability3,017▼ 0.76×139 topics
  7. Globalization2,855◆ 0.90×182 topics
  8. Public Health2,728▲ 1.16×77 topics
  9. Quality of Life2,668◆ 1.14×61 topics
  10. Treatment2,429▲ 1.23×52 topics
  11. Mental Health2,403◆ 1.04×48 topics
  12. Oxidative Stress2,245▼ 0.84×63 topics
  13. Sustainable Development2,080▼ 0.82×107 topics
  14. Cardiovascular Disease1,986◆ 1.08×39 topics
  15. Diagnosis1,966▲ 1.30×41 topics
  16. Artificial Intelligence1,963▼ 0.85×66 topics
  17. Risk Factors1,952◆ 1.10×37 topics
  18. Neural Networks1,826▼ 0.73×41 topics
  19. Big Data1,748◆ 1.13×34 topics
  20. Cancer1,742▼ 0.80×59 topics
  21. Clinical Trials1,586▲ 1.47×19 topics
  22. Depression1,550◆ 1.09×26 topics
  23. Innovation1,537◆ 0.92×88 topics
  24. Identity1,526▲ 1.30×80 topics
  25. Management1,520▲ 1.18×40 topics
  26. Immunotherapy1,474▲ 1.26×19 topics
  27. Biodiversity1,400◆ 1.13×38 topics
  28. Gender1,400▲ 1.61×58 topics
  29. Complications1,382▲ 1.72×17 topics
  30. Neurological Disorders1,363▲ 1.47×20 topics
  31. Rehabilitation1,256▲ 1.94×13 topics
  32. Ethics1,247▲ 1.52×62 topics
  33. Mortality1,218▲ 1.32×13 topics
  34. Global Burden1,158▲ 1.31×12 topics
  35. Global Warming1,101▲ 1.59×16 topics
  36. Guidelines1,096▲ 1.43×13 topics
  37. Governance1,054▲ 2.0×20 topics
  38. Magnetic Resonance Imaging981▲ 2.4×8 topics
  39. Biomechanics950▲ 1.92×12 topics
  40. Qualitative Inhaltsanalyse674▲ 11×2 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?

France has out-published Switzerland every year since 1980.

still counting50k100k150kFrance127k in 2025Switzerland35k 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%France2.2% in 2025Switzerland0.60% 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%Switzerland12.8% 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.

France 31 level1 Switzerland
  1. 1In the world top 501
  2. 3In the top 1005
  3. 17In the top 5009
  4. 34In the top 1,00019
  5. #5Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#10

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, France or Switzerland?

France publishes 3.9× as much research as Switzerland in 2022-now (553k against 142k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, France or Switzerland?

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

Is France or Switzerland growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +0% against 2018-21 for Switzerland, and -2% for France.

Which has more open access research, France or Switzerland?

47% of Switzerland's research is free to read, against 36% of France's.

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

Switzerland holds 5 of the world's top 100 research institutions and France 3; in the top 1,000 it is 19 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%.

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

Switzerland

  1. 1ETH Zurich17.6% top 10% · 14k works
  2. 2University of Zurich14.9% top 10% · 15k works
  3. 3University of Basel14.8% top 10% · 7.8k works
  4. 4École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne14.3% top 10% · 8.6k works
  5. 5University of Lausanne13.2% top 10% · 9.4k works
  6. 6University of Geneva14.0% top 10% · 8.6k 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.

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

Switzerland

  1. 1 Shubhanshu Tiwari #202 worldwide 84k citations · 277 works
  2. 2 Thomas Ward Crowther #324 worldwide 33k citations · 498 works
  3. 3 Michaël Grätzel #935 worldwide 458k citations · 2,524 works
  4. 4 Ruedi Aebersold #982 worldwide 176k citations · 1,184 works
  5. 5 Shinichi Sunagawa #1,118 worldwide 57k citations · 417 works

Other comparisons

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