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North Korea vs Singapore

On research quality in 2022-now, Singapore ranks #13 in the world and North Korea #183, of 189 countries. North Korea stands higher in 0 of the 24 fields both publish in, Singapore in 24.

Research profiles alike: 0.51similar shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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North Korea

World rank, 2022-now
#183
#191 all time
Works, 2022-now
841
fractional
Top-10% rate
4.4%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
54%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Fluid Flow and Transfer Processes, Condensed Matter Physics, Geometry and Topology.

Singapore

World rank, 2022-now
#13
#11 all time
Works, 2022-now
70k
fractional
Top-10% rate
16.7%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
33%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Health Informatics, Hardware and Architecture, Acoustics and Ultrasonics.

Who leads, measure by measure?

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

North Korea 36 Singapore
  1. #183Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#13
  2. 0.81×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.42×
  3. 841Outputfractional works, 2022-now70k
  4. 4.4%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited16.7%
  5. 8.1Citations per workall time, per fractional work30.0
  6. 0World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 1002
  7. 54%Open accessof its works free to read, all time33%
  8. 48%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time34%
  9. +168%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?

North Korea stands higher in 0 of 24 fields, Singapore in 24. Singapore leads most in Engineering (#6 against #120). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

North Korea 024 Singapore
  1. -Agricultural and Biological Sciences#20
  2. -Arts and Humanities#29
  3. -Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology#14
  4. -Business, Management and Accounting#17
  5. -Chemical Engineering#8
  6. -Chemistry#9
  7. -Computer Science#9
  8. -Decision Sciences#15
  9. -Dentistry#20
  10. -Earth and Planetary Sciences#21
  11. -Economics, Econometrics and Finance#14
  12. -Energy#5
  13. #120Engineering#6
  14. -Environmental Science#15
  15. -Health Professions#15
  16. -Immunology and Microbiology#13
  17. -Materials Science#5
  18. -Mathematics#20
  19. -Medicine#15
  20. -Neuroscience#15
  21. -Nursing#14
  22. -Physics and Astronomy#17
  23. -Psychology#15
  24. -Social Sciences#16

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 North Korea rankSingapore rank North Korea top 10%Singapore top 10% North Korea worksSingapore works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences - #20 - 17.3% - 1.1k
Arts and Humanities - #29 - 16.9% - 892
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology - #14 - 15.2% - 3.7k
Business, Management and Accounting - #17 - 14.4% - 1.6k
Chemical Engineering - #8 - 20.9% - 311
Chemistry - #9 - 18.6% - 1.1k
Computer Science - #9 - 18.4% - 9.1k
Decision Sciences - #15 - 16.3% - 724
Dentistry - #20 - 16.6% - 224
Earth and Planetary Sciences - #21 - 20.0% - 594
Economics, Econometrics and Finance - #14 - 12.8% - 1.3k
Energy - #5 - 19.7% - 797
Engineering #120 #6 3.1% 19.3% 262 14k
Environmental Science - #15 - 17.1% - 2.3k
Health Professions - #15 - 17.5% - 1.5k
Immunology and Microbiology - #13 - 14.8% - 624
Materials Science - #5 - 19.0% - 3k
Mathematics - #20 - 12.2% - 592
Medicine - #15 - 14.1% - 14k
Neuroscience - #15 - 16.3% - 1.2k
Nursing - #14 - 16.7% - 236
Physics and Astronomy - #17 - 15.7% - 1.7k
Psychology - #15 - 16.0% - 2.2k
Social Sciences - #16 - 15.6% - 6.2k

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.

North 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. Machine Learning45▲ 1.25×70 topics
  2. Deep Learning42◆ 1.15×65 topics
  3. Climate Change30◆ 1.02×66 topics
  4. Neural Networks30▲ 1.77×33 topics
  5. Mechanical Properties24▲ 2.3×28 topics
  6. Biomedical Applications24▲ 1.86×30 topics
  7. Nanoparticles23▲ 1.72×37 topics
  8. Environmental Impact20◆ 1.10×38 topics
  9. Nanomaterials20▲ 1.78×17 topics
  10. Nanocomposites20▲ 2.3×21 topics
  11. Renewable Energy19▲ 1.24×31 topics
  12. Oxidative Stress18◆ 1.05×47 topics
  13. Energy Efficiency18▲ 1.76×22 topics
  14. Remote Sensing17▲ 1.32×31 topics
  15. Graphene16▲ 2.3×11 topics
  16. Vibration Analysis15▲ 5.3×9 topics
  17. Catalysis15▲ 2.1×22 topics
  18. Nonlinear Systems14▲ 6.1×8 topics
  19. Microstructure13▲ 2.3×19 topics
  20. Biosensors12▲ 2.4×11 topics
  21. Metal Recovery12▲ 5.5×3 topics
  22. Numerical Simulation11▲ 3.6×12 topics
  23. Artificial Neural Networks11▲ 2.2×9 topics
  24. Buckling Behavior11▲ 14×2 topics
  25. Nonlinear Dynamics10▲ 4.4×6 topics
  26. Finite Element Method10▲ 9.8×6 topics
  27. Stability Analysis10▲ 5.7×6 topics
  28. Molecular Dynamics9▲ 4.8×7 topics
  29. Fluid-Structure Interaction9▲ 5.6×6 topics
  30. Materials9▲ 3.5×6 topics
  31. Rare Earth Elements8▲ 5.1×4 topics
  32. Superconductivity8▲ 4.4×9 topics
  33. Entanglement8▲ 4.9×4 topics
  34. Metamaterials8▲ 4.9×5 topics
  35. Microstructural Evolution8▲ 4.8×4 topics
  36. Optical Modulators7▲ 4.8×3 topics
  37. Composite Plates7▲ 21×1 topic
  38. Functionally Graded Materials7▲ 21×1 topic
  39. Battery Recycling6▲ 7.2×1 topic
  40. Hydrometallurgical Processes6▲ 7.2×1 topic

Singapore

▲ 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 Learning5,202▲ 1.91×85 topics
  2. Machine Learning3,492▲ 1.33×97 topics
  3. Epidemiology3,267◆ 1.04×137 topics
  4. Neural Networks2,630▲ 2.2×40 topics
  5. Inflammation1,732◆ 1.03×83 topics
  6. Sustainability1,359▼ 0.71×122 topics
  7. Globalization1,296▼ 0.84×141 topics
  8. Biomedical Applications1,179▲ 1.26×36 topics
  9. Nanoparticles1,138◆ 1.15×44 topics
  10. Quality of Life1,134◆ 1.00×58 topics
  11. Artificial Intelligence1,038◆ 0.92×65 topics
  12. Healthcare988◆ 1.10×40 topics
  13. Public Health972▼ 0.85×72 topics
  14. Convolutional Neural Networks965▲ 1.68×14 topics
  15. Nanomaterials954▲ 1.16×21 topics
  16. Treatment951◆ 0.99×52 topics
  17. Cardiovascular Disease949◆ 1.06×39 topics
  18. Mechanical Properties890◆ 1.15×39 topics
  19. Security859▲ 1.63×28 topics
  20. Energy Efficiency849▲ 1.17×46 topics
  21. Risk Factors845◆ 0.97×37 topics
  22. Big Data843◆ 1.12×35 topics
  23. Energy Storage803▲ 1.57×13 topics
  24. Catalysis791▲ 1.51×29 topics
  25. Nanocomposites746▲ 1.20×22 topics
  26. Graphene733▲ 1.38×12 topics
  27. Tissue Engineering674▲ 1.41×13 topics
  28. Biosensors673▲ 1.74×12 topics
  29. Aging661▲ 1.54×19 topics
  30. Medical Imaging624▲ 1.50×9 topics
  31. Precision Medicine603▲ 1.54×8 topics
  32. Cathode Materials596▲ 1.95×3 topics
  33. Additive Manufacturing565▲ 2.3×8 topics
  34. Representation Learning507▲ 4.1×3 topics
  35. Unsupervised Learning478▲ 4.0×3 topics
  36. Semi-Supervised Learning415▲ 4.3×3 topics
  37. Authoritarianism333▲ 4.8×5 topics
  38. Social Cohesion283▲ 6.0×6 topics
  39. State Intervention282▲ 11×3 topics
  40. Singapore254▲ 37×1 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?

Singapore has out-published North Korea every year since 1981.

still counting10k20kSingapore19k in 2025North Korea408 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 counting0.20%0.40%0.60%Singapore0.32% in 2025North Korea0.0069% 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%Singapore15.6% in 2025North Korea3.6% 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.

North Korea 05 Singapore
  1. 0In the world top 502
  2. 0In the top 1002
  3. 0In the top 5003
  4. 0In the top 1,0006
  5. #51Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#15

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, North Korea or Singapore?

Singapore publishes 82.8× as much research as North Korea in 2022-now (70k against 841 fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, North Korea or Singapore?

16.7% of Singapore's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 4.4% for North Korea.

Is North Korea or Singapore growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +168% against 2018-21 for North Korea, and +7% for Singapore.

Which has more open access research, North Korea or Singapore?

54% of North Korea's research is free to read, against 33% of Singapore's.

Which has more world-class institutions, North Korea or Singapore?

Singapore holds 2 of the world's top 100 research institutions and North Korea 0; in the top 1,000 it is 6 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%.

North Korea

  1. 1Kim Il-sung University2.5% top 10% · 173 works
  2. 2Kim Chaek University of Technology1.4% top 10% · 232 works
  3. 3Institute of Natural Science9.3% top 10% · 287 works
  4. 4Pyongyang University of Science and Technology1.7% top 10% · 104 works

Singapore

  1. 1National University of Singapore17.6% top 10% · 25k works
  2. 2Nanyang Technological University20.6% top 10% · 17k works
  3. 3Agency for Science, Technology and Research17.8% top 10% · 6.9k works
  4. 4Singapore University of Technology and Design18.2% top 10% · 1.9k works
  5. 5National University Health System18.2% top 10% · 1.3k works
  6. 6Singapore Management University16.9% top 10% · 2.2k 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.

North Korea

  1. 1 Un-Gi Jong #589,064 worldwide 2k citations · 71 works
  2. 2 Yun-Hyok Kye #951,780 worldwide 1.1k citations · 38 works
  3. 3 Chol‐Jun Yu #1,569,436 worldwide 2.7k citations · 144 works
  4. 4 Sunghyok Kim #1,881,333 worldwide 656 citations · 15 works
  5. 5 O Hyong-Chol #2,399,720 worldwide 182 citations · 44 works

Singapore

  1. 1 Xiong Wen Lou #2 worldwide 155k citations · 583 works
  2. 2 Chen Change Loy #50 worldwide 86k citations · 611 works
  3. 3 Florent Ginhoux #118 worldwide 98k citations · 704 works
  4. 4 Kanyi Pu #240 worldwide 52k citations · 393 works
  5. 5 Cheng‐Wei Qiu #607 worldwide 67k citations · 973 works

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