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Sweden vs United States

On research quality in 2022-now, The United States ranks #1 in the world and Sweden #12, of 189 countries. Sweden stands higher in 0 of the 26 fields both publish in, the United States in 26.

Research profiles alike: 0.84very similar shapes of research, whatever their size. How it is measured

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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.

United States

World rank, 2022-now
#1
#1 all time
Works, 2022-now
3.1M
fractional
Top-10% rate
10.8%
share of its work among the world's most cited
Open access
33%
of its works free to read

Strongest relative focus: Transplantation, Library and Information Sciences, Medical Terminology.

Who leads, measure by measure?

Sweden leads on 5 of 9 measures: citation excellence for its fields, top-10% rate, open access, international co-authorship and growth. The United States leads on 3 of 9 measures: research quality, output and institutions in the world top 100. The two are level on citations per work.

Sweden 51 level3 United States
  1. #12Research qualityworld rank of 189 countries, 2022-now#1
  2. 1.28×Citation excellence for its fieldsits top-10% rate against what its topics predict; 1.00× is as expected1.02×
  3. 121kOutputfractional works, 2022-now3.1M
  4. 13.6%Top-10% rateshare of its works among the world's most cited10.8%
  5. 32.8Citations per workall time, per fractional work33.4
  6. 0World top 100institutions it holds among the world's best 10029
  7. 41%Open accessof its works free to read, all time33%
  8. 27%Internationalof its works written with co-authors abroad, all time14%
  9. +1%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?

Sweden stands higher in 0 of 26 fields, United States in 26. The United States leads most in Chemical Engineering (#2 against #16). Each bar is that side's standing among all countries ranked in the field: the full bar is first place.

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

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 Sweden rankUnited States rank Sweden top 10%United States top 10% Sweden worksUnited States works
Agricultural and Biological Sciences #12 #2 15.3% 10.9% 3.3k 82k
Arts and Humanities #13 #1 15.9% 10.6% 3.5k 85k
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology #11 #1 12.7% 11.2% 7k 215k
Business, Management and Accounting #12 #1 16.2% 11.4% 3.4k 60k
Chemical Engineering #16 #2 10.2% 9.0% 362 6.8k
Chemistry #19 #2 10.7% 11.0% 1.3k 31k
Computer Science #14 #1 12.3% 11.1% 8k 181k
Decision Sciences #10 #1 12.6% 10.1% 1.2k 30k
Dentistry #14 #2 17.4% 12.0% 501 9.1k
Earth and Planetary Sciences #12 #1 13.1% 10.7% 1.8k 56k
Economics, Econometrics and Finance #12 #1 13.1% 11.1% 2.2k 66k
Energy #18 #2 12.0% 9.5% 793 12k
Engineering #14 #2 11.6% 9.3% 16k 301k
Environmental Science #11 #2 12.9% 10.3% 6.6k 125k
Health Professions #11 #1 13.7% 10.2% 4.1k 105k
Immunology and Microbiology #14 #1 12.1% 11.4% 1.5k 43k
Materials Science #15 #2 10.6% 9.9% 3.2k 57k
Mathematics #11 #1 11.4% 11.0% 1.4k 36k
Medicine #10 #1 14.9% 11.2% 27k 885k
Neuroscience #13 #1 11.6% 10.6% 2.5k 79k
Nursing #13 #2 14.8% 10.3% 523 14k
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics #15 #2 12.6% 11.2% 260 8.9k
Physics and Astronomy #13 #1 12.7% 12.2% 3.3k 87k
Psychology #11 #1 12.9% 10.3% 5.6k 137k
Social Sciences #11 #1 15.7% 10.6% 16k 333k
Veterinary #10 #1 14.0% 10.4% 255 5.9k

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.

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

United States

▲ 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. Epidemiology202k▲ 1.44×140 topics
  2. Machine Learning103k◆ 0.88×97 topics
  3. Climate Change93k◆ 0.97×132 topics
  4. Inflammation90k▲ 1.21×83 topics
  5. Deep Learning90k▼ 0.74×85 topics
  6. Mental Health74k▲ 1.47×48 topics
  7. Quality of Life68k▲ 1.34×61 topics
  8. Public Health67k▲ 1.32×77 topics
  9. Oxidative Stress62k◆ 1.07×63 topics
  10. Treatment60k▲ 1.41×52 topics
  11. Risk Factors60k▲ 1.56×37 topics
  12. Globalization59k▼ 0.85×186 topics
  13. Sustainability53k▼ 0.62×140 topics
  14. Cardiovascular Disease52k▲ 1.29×39 topics
  15. Cancer50k◆ 1.07×59 topics
  16. Diagnosis47k▲ 1.43×41 topics
  17. Depression46k▲ 1.49×26 topics
  18. Immunotherapy43k▲ 1.71×19 topics
  19. Healthcare41k◆ 1.03×44 topics
  20. Chemotherapy37k▲ 1.47×25 topics
  21. Management36k▲ 1.29×40 topics
  22. Genetics36k▲ 1.45×27 topics
  23. Metabolic Syndrome36k▲ 1.26×24 topics
  24. Biomarkers35k▲ 1.45×18 topics
  25. Clinical Trials35k▲ 1.49×19 topics
  26. Big Data34k◆ 1.02×37 topics
  27. Neurological Disorders33k▲ 1.65×20 topics
  28. Obesity33k▲ 1.22×29 topics
  29. History31k▲ 1.28×66 topics
  30. Mortality31k▲ 1.56×13 topics
  31. Aging29k▲ 1.54×19 topics
  32. Social Support29k▲ 1.52×20 topics
  33. Complications29k▲ 1.64×17 topics
  34. Guidelines28k▲ 1.68×13 topics
  35. Heart Failure28k▲ 1.76×14 topics
  36. Genetic Mutations27k▲ 1.75×23 topics
  37. Prognostic Factors26k▲ 1.71×14 topics
  38. Anxiety26k▲ 1.56×12 topics
  39. Primary Care23k▲ 1.80×15 topics
  40. Health Disparities22k▲ 2.4×9 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?

The United States has out-published Sweden every year since 1980.

still counting500k1MUnited States805k in 2025Sweden31k 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 counting20%40%60%United States14% in 2025Sweden0.53% 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 2025United States10.3% 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.

Sweden 05 United States
  1. 0In the world top 5019
  2. 0In the top 10029
  3. 9In the top 500127
  4. 12In the top 1,000220
  5. #14Elite capacityrank among 204 countries#1

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, Sweden or United States?

The United States publishes 25.2× as much research as Sweden in 2022-now (3.1M against 121k fractional works).

Whose research has more impact, Sweden or United States?

13.6% of Sweden's research reaches the world's top 10% most cited, against 10.8% for the United States.

Is Sweden or United States growing faster?

Output in 2022-25 was +1% against 2018-21 for Sweden, and -1% for the United States.

Which has more open access research, Sweden or United States?

41% of Sweden's research is free to read, against 33% of the United States's.

Which has more world-class institutions, Sweden or United States?

The United States holds 29 of the world's top 100 research institutions and Sweden 0; in the top 1,000 it is 220 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%.

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

United States

  1. 1Harvard University16.7% top 10% · 66k works
  2. 2Stanford University15.8% top 10% · 31k works
  3. 3Massachusetts Institute of Technology16.9% top 10% · 15k works
  4. 4Cornell University13.8% top 10% · 27k works
  5. 5Columbia University13.3% top 10% · 23k works
  6. 6Johns Hopkins University13.6% top 10% · 32k 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.

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

United States

  1. 1 Gad A. Getz #1 worldwide 364k citations · 1,873 works
  2. 2 Simon Iain Hay #3 worldwide 452k citations · 930 works
  3. 3 Menachem Elimelech #4 worldwide 151k citations · 747 works
  4. 4 Zhong Lin Wang #5 worldwide 491k citations · 3,935 works
  5. 5 Christopher J L Murray #7 worldwide 583k citations · 1,001 works

Other comparisons

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