Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Country

Science in China

China ranks #2 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#2 all time), with 4M research works and 13.3% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#2
of 189 · #2 all time
Works, 2022-now
4M
▲ 62% vs 2018-21
Citations
202M
14.0 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
13.3%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.20×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
31
243 in the top 1,000
Open access
30%
world 40%
International
12%
world 18%
China

What is China strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, China ranks highest in Engineering (#1 of 131), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#1 of 124) and Environmental Science (#1 of 122). Relative to its size it is most specialised in General Engineering, Acoustics and Ultrasonics and Catalysis.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
EngineeringField #1 of 131 12.9%1,118,518 #1 Institutions
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #1 of 124 17.3%156,789 #2 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #1 of 122 13.9%237,727 #1 Institutions
Plant ScienceSubfield #1 of 90 16.0%75,650 - Institutions
Materials ScienceField #1 of 87 13.0%275,216 #1 Institutions
Electrical and Electronic EngineeringSubfield #1 of 86 11.8%284,718 #1 Institutions
Biomedical EngineeringSubfield #1 of 78 13.0%133,947 #1 Institutions
Strategy and ManagementSubfield #1 of 77 14.7%16,824 - Institutions
MedicineField #2 of 152 14.0%582,555 - Institutions
Social SciencesField #2 of 148 14.5%124,414 - Institutions
Mechanical EngineeringSubfield #1 of 74 13.4%145,793 #1 Institutions
Food ScienceSubfield #1 of 72 18.3%24,425 - Institutions

Where its research is concentrated

Location quotient: how much more (or less) of each node it does than its size predicts. Drawn around 1×, where "twice the world share" and "half of it" are the same distance apart in opposite directions. A volume reading, which on a country axis is largely population and industrial structure.

  1. General EngineeringSubfield · 1,250.0 works · #1 of 96 active here3.6×
  2. Acoustics and UltrasonicsSubfield · 1,288.1 works · #1 of 108 active here2.4×
  3. CatalysisSubfield · 16,437.5 works · #1 of 168 active here2.4×
  4. Process Chemistry and TechnologySubfield · 4,299.6 works · #1 of 151 active here2.3×
  5. Computational MathematicsSubfield · 934.0 works · #1 of 117 active here2.2×
  6. Ceramics and CompositesSubfield · 7,076.9 works · #1 of 155 active here2.2×
  7. Computer Vision and Pattern RecognitionSubfield · 125,187.4 works · #1 of 204 active here2.1×
  8. Control and Systems EngineeringSubfield · 107,124.7 works · #1 of 205 active here2.1×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

The whole field profile

All 26 fields at once. A specialist and a generalist produce the same ranked list and a completely different shape.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 0.84× its world share, 183k worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.39× its world share, 342k worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.22× its world share, 57k worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.97× its world share, 73k worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.05× its world share, 17k worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.94× its world share, 31k worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.53× its world share, 111k worksChemistryComputer Science: 1.29× its world share, 463k worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.33× its world share, 97k worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.91× its world share, 81k worksEnergyEngineering: 1.83× its world share, 1.3M worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.19× its world share, 272k worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.94× its world share, 313k worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.81× its world share, 44k worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.14× its world share, 117k worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.50× its world share, 11k worksDentistryHealth Professions: 0.25× its world share, 31k worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.77× its world share, 680k worksMedicineNursing: 0.87× its world share, 20k worksNursingVeterinary: 0.41× its world share, 2,562 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.20× its world share, 27k worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.50× its world share, 74k worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.79× its world share, 35k worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.61× its world share, 60k worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.46× its world share, 65k worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.24× its world share, 140k worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Chemical Engineering, 1.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Chemical Engineering1.94×31k works
  2. Materials Science1.94×313k works
  3. Energy1.91×81k works
  4. Engineering1.83×1.3M works
  5. Chemistry1.53×111k works
  6. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.39×342k works
  7. Earth and Planetary Sciences1.33×97k works
  8. Computer Science1.29×463k works
  9. Immunology and Microbiology1.22×57k works
  10. Environmental Science1.19×272k works
  11. Physics and Astronomy1.14×117k works
  12. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics1.05×17k works
  13. Neuroscience0.97×73k works
  14. Nursing0.87×20k works
  15. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.84×183k works
  16. Mathematics0.81×44k works
  17. Decision Sciences0.79×35k works
  18. Medicine0.77×680k works
  19. Economics, Econometrics and Finance0.61×60k works
  20. Dentistry0.50×11k works
  21. Business, Management and Accounting0.50×74k works
  22. Psychology0.46×65k works
  23. Veterinary0.41×2,562 works
  24. Health Professions0.25×31k works
  25. Social Sciences0.24×140k works
  26. Arts and Humanities0.20×27k works

Which fields of science does China work in?

In 2022-now, 61% of research in China is in Physical Sciences, 16% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Engineering (27%), Medicine (15%), Computer Science (10%). It does 1.6× the world's share of Physical Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 2.8M fractional works · 60.6% of its workEngineering: 1.3M fractional works · 27.4% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 317k fractional works · 6.9% of its workMechanical Engineering: 167k fractional works · 3.6% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 154k fractional works · 3.3% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 107k fractional works · 2.3% of its workAerospace Engineering: 106k fractional works · 2.3% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 100k fractional works · 2.2% of its workMechanics of Materials: 68k fractional works · 1.5% of its workComputational Mechanics: 46k fractional works · 1.0% of its workOcean Engineering: 45k fractional works · 1.0% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 39k fractional works · 0.8% of its workBuilding and Construction: 37k fractional works · 0.8% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 33k fractional works · 0.7% of its workMedia Technology: 24k fractional works · 0.5% of its workSafety, Risk, Reliability and Quality: 21k fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputer Science: 463k fractional works · 10.0% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 159k fractional works · 3.4% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 125k fractional works · 2.7% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 58k fractional works · 1.3% of its workInformation Systems: 45k fractional works · 1.0% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 23k fractional works · 0.5% of its workSignal Processing: 21k fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 31k fractional works · 0.7% of its workMaterials Science: 313k fractional works · 6.8% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 182k fractional works · 3.9% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 44k fractional works · 1.0% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 34k fractional works · 0.7% of its workBiomaterials: 32k fractional works · 0.7% of its workSurfaces, Coatings and Films: 9,425 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Science: 272k fractional works · 5.9% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 42k fractional works · 0.9% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 41k fractional works · 0.9% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 36k fractional works · 0.8% of its workWater Science and Technology: 36k fractional works · 0.8% of its workEcology: 34k fractional works · 0.7% of its workPollution: 27k fractional works · 0.6% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 117k fractional works · 2.5% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 47k fractional works · 1.0% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 21k fractional works · 0.4% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workCondensed Matter Physics: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workChemistry: 111k fractional works · 2.4% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 53k fractional works · 1.1% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 23k fractional works · 0.5% of its workSpectroscopy: 15k fractional works · 0.3% of its workAnalytical Chemistry: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 8,319 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 97k fractional works · 2.1% of its workAtmospheric Science: 34k fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeophysics: 21k fractional works · 0.5% of its workOceanography: 16k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 26k fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnergy: 81k fractional works · 1.8% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 70k fractional works · 1.5% of its workEnergy Engineering and Power Technology: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,323 fractional works · 0.0% of its workMathematics: 44k fractional works · 1.0% of its workApplied Mathematics: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 33k fractional works · 0.7% of its workChemical Engineering: 31k fractional works · 0.7% of its workCatalysis: 16k fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 15k fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth Sciences: 744k fractional works · 16.1% of its workMedicine: 680k fractional works · 14.7% of its workSurgery: 77k fractional works · 1.7% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 71k fractional works · 1.5% of its workOncology: 56k fractional works · 1.2% of its workEpidemiology: 51k fractional works · 1.1% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 38k fractional works · 0.8% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 33k fractional works · 0.7% of its workPhysiology: 31k fractional works · 0.7% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 26k fractional works · 0.6% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 22k fractional works · 0.5% of its workComplementary and alternative medicine: 22k fractional works · 0.5% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 19k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeurology: 18k fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology: 18k fractional works · 0.4% of its workRheumatology: 18k fractional works · 0.4% of its workInfectious Diseases: 18k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNephrology: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workHepatology: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workHematology: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workOphthalmology: 9,714 fractional works · 0.2% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 9,638 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 86k fractional works · 1.9% of its workHealth Professions: 31k fractional works · 0.7% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 20k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNursing: 20k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 18k fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,204 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDentistry: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workVeterinary: 2,562 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 672k fractional works · 14.6% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 342k fractional works · 7.4% of its workMolecular Biology: 216k fractional works · 4.7% of its workCancer Research: 37k fractional works · 0.8% of its workGenetics: 32k fractional works · 0.7% of its workCell Biology: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workBiotechnology: 9,569 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 31k fractional works · 0.7% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 183k fractional works · 4.0% of its workPlant Science: 88k fractional works · 1.9% of its workFood Science: 28k fractional works · 0.6% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 15k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSoil Science: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workInsect Science: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeuroscience: 73k fractional works · 1.6% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 27k fractional works · 0.6% of its workNeurology: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 57k fractional works · 1.2% of its workImmunology: 47k fractional works · 1.0% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9,870 fractional works · 0.2% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology: 9,930 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7,185 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSocial Sciences: 402k fractional works · 8.7% of its workSocial Sciences: 140k fractional works · 3.0% of its workSociology and Political Science: 49k fractional works · 1.1% of its workEducation: 24k fractional works · 0.5% of its workTransportation: 13k fractional works · 0.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 42k fractional works · 0.9% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 74k fractional works · 1.6% of its workStrategy and Management: 19k fractional works · 0.4% of its workMarketing: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workAccounting: 11k fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness and International Management: 9,334 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 22k fractional works · 0.5% of its workPsychology: 65k fractional works · 1.4% of its workSocial Psychology: 21k fractional works · 0.5% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 17k fractional works · 0.4% of its workClinical Psychology: 15k fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12k fractional works · 0.3% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 60k fractional works · 1.3% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 44k fractional works · 1.0% of its workFinance: 10k fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 5,638 fractional works · 0.1% of its workDecision Sciences: 35k fractional works · 0.8% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 21k fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 14k fractional works · 0.3% of its workArts and Humanities: 27k fractional works · 0.6% of its workALL ITS WORKChina4.6Mfractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences15%Physical Sciences61%Health Sciences16%Social Sciences9%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering1.3M27.4%
    2. Computer Science463k10.0%
    3. Materials Science313k6.8%
    4. Environmental Science272k5.9%
    5. Physics and Astronomy117k2.5%
    6. Chemistry111k2.4%
    7. Earth and Planetary Sciences97k2.1%
    8. Energy81k1.8%
    9. Mathematics44k1.0%
    10. Chemical Engineering31k0.7%
    1. Medicine680k14.7%
    2. Health Professions31k0.7%
    3. Nursing20k0.4%
    4. Dentistry11k0.2%
    5. Veterinary2,5620.1%
  3. Life Sciences672k14.6%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology342k7.4%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences183k4.0%
    3. Neuroscience73k1.6%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology57k1.2%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics17k0.4%
    1. Social Sciences140k3.0%
    2. Business, Management and Accounting74k1.6%
    3. Psychology65k1.4%
    4. Economics, Econometrics and Finance60k1.3%
    5. Decision Sciences35k0.8%
    6. Arts and Humanities27k0.6%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in China?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Deep Learning, Machine Learning, Neural Networks, Nanomaterials, Cancer, Biomedical Applications, Nanoparticles and Inflammation.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

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

Which research topics does China publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques, Advancements in Battery Materials, Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion.

Advanced Photocatalysis …23kAdvanced Photocatalysis Techniques: 23k fractional worksAdvancements in Battery …22kAdvancements in Battery Materials: 22k fractional worksElectrocatalysts for Energy Conversion: 18k fractional worksAdvanced Neural Network Applications: 17k fractional worksAdvanced Battery Materials and Technologies: 17k fractional worksAdvanced Sensor and Ener…15kAdvanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials: 15k fractional worksAdvanced battery technologies research: 14k fractional worksFerroptosis and cancer prognosis: 14k fractional worksCatalytic Processes in M…14kCatalytic Processes in Materials Science: 14k fractional worksAdvanced Battery Technologies Research: 14k fractional worksPerovskite Materials and Applications: 13k fractional worksAdvanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques: 13k fractional works
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the EnvironmentElectrical and Electronic EngineeringComputer Vision and Pattern RecognitionBiomedical Engineering4 others

Area is fractional works in 2022-now; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to. Every tile is a topic page.

  1. 1 Advanced Photocatalysis Techniques Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 23k works
  2. 2 Advancements in Battery Materials Electrical and Electronic Engineering 22k works
  3. 3 Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment 18k works
  4. 4 Advanced Neural Network Applications Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition 17k works
  5. 5 Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies Electrical and Electronic Engineering 17k works
  6. 6 Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials Biomedical Engineering 15k works
  7. 7 Advanced battery technologies research Electrical and Electronic Engineering 14k works
  8. 8 Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine 14k works
  9. 9 Catalytic Processes in Materials Science Materials Chemistry 14k works
  10. 10 Advanced Battery Technologies Research Automotive Engineering 14k works
  11. 11 Perovskite Materials and Applications Electrical and Electronic Engineering 13k works
  12. 12 Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques Molecular Biology 13k works

How many world-class institutions does China hold?

Average quality and elite capacity disagree by construction, and both are worth knowing: the first is decided by a country's whole institution population, the second counts the institutions it holds at the top. One square per institution.

Standing among countries2022-nowWhere that sitsAll time
Average qualityits whole institution population #2 of 189 #2 of 203
Elite capacitythe institutions it holds at the top #2 of 204 #2 of 216

Elite capacity counts a country's institutions by their worldwide rank, weighted so a place at #1 counts for more than one at #480. Countries under 100 fractional works are left out.

in the world top 501451st to 100th17101st to 500th89501st to 1,000th123

Bands are exclusive, so the squares add up to 243 (the institutions it holds in the world top 1,000), not to four times it.

Which universities in China lead research?

Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University and Peking University rank highest in China on research quality in 2022-now.

0%10%20%mean 15.76%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →Tsinghua UniversityPeking UniversityChinese Academy of S…Shanghai Jiao Tong U…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per institution in the list below. The upper left is the interesting corner.

  1. 1Chinese Academy of SciencesGovernment institution · Beijing · #2 worldwide15.2% top 10% · 167k works
  2. 2Tsinghua UniversityUniversity · Beijing · #10 worldwide16.6% top 10% · 48k works
  3. 3Peking UniversityUniversity · Beijing · #11 worldwide15.3% top 10% · 42k works
  4. 4Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityUniversity · Shanghai · #13 worldwide15.2% top 10% · 60k works
  5. 5Zhejiang UniversityUniversity · Hangzhou · #14 worldwide16.1% top 10% · 56k works
  6. 6University of Hong KongUniversity · Pok Fu Lam · #19 worldwide18.4% top 10% · 19k works
  7. 7Sichuan UniversityUniversity · Chengdu · #22 worldwide15.9% top 10% · 47k works
  8. 8Sun Yat-sen UniversityUniversity · Guangzhou · #24 worldwide14.9% top 10% · 43k works
  9. 9University of Chinese Academy of SciencesUniversity · Beijing · #27 worldwide16.1% top 10% · 34k works
  10. 10Wuhan UniversityUniversity · Wuhan · #31 worldwide16.8% top 10% · 29k works
  11. 11Fudan UniversityUniversity · Shanghai · #34 worldwide14.6% top 10% · 33k works
  12. 12Nanjing UniversityUniversity · Nanjing · #35 worldwide14.8% top 10% · 19k works
  13. 13Tongji UniversityUniversity · Shanghai · #37 worldwide15.3% top 10% · 32k works
  14. 14University of Science and Technology of ChinaUniversity · Hefei · #49 worldwide14.9% top 10% · 25k works
  15. 15Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyUniversity · Wuhan · #52 worldwide16.3% top 10% · 38k works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in China

Who are the top researchers in China?

Guangmin Zhou, Shilong Piao and Jiaguo Yu rank highest among researchers based in 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
  6. 6 Bei Cheng #56 worldwide 74k citations · 388 works
  7. 7 Daniel C.W. Tsang #58 worldwide 87k citations · 802 works
  8. 8 Xiangke Wang #60 worldwide 107k citations · 933 works
  9. 9 Bingan Lu #72 worldwide 42k citations · 391 works
  10. 10 Jian‐Kang Zhu #100 worldwide 164k citations · 752 works
Top researchers in China

Which cities in China are research hubs?

  1. 1 BeijingChina 2.7M works
  2. 2 ShanghaiChina 986k works
  3. 3 NanjingChina 720k works
  4. 4 WuhanChina 615k works
  5. 5 GuangzhouChina 608k works
  6. 6 Xi'anChina 594k works
  7. 7 HangzhouChina 449k works
  8. 8 ChengduChina 440k works
  9. 9 ChangshaChina 366k works
  10. 10 TianjinChina 360k works
  11. 11 HarbinChina 327k works
  12. 12 Hong KongChina 311k works

How much of it is in the largest

The same cities as shares of everything these twelve account for.

Beijing: 31.7%Shanghai: 11.7%Nanjing: 8.5%Wuhan: 7.3%8 others listed: 40.8%32%largest
Beijing2.7M · 31.7%Shanghai986k · 11.7%Nanjing720k · 8.5%Wuhan615k · 7.3%8 others listed3.5M · 40.8%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

How open and international is China's research?

30% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 12% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available29.9%not open70.1%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors12.4%domestic only87.6%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 44% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 15% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 0.84× the expected open access and 0.63× the expected international share, which puts it #172 of 173 countries on openness.

How has China's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 62% higher than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is China as a percentage of every work published that year, 19% in 2024.

still counting10%20%30%China20% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of China over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 9.5% of its 14.5M works since 1950 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting5%10%15%China13.2% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 13.6% in 2024.

Which countries have research most like China's?

North Korea is China's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like China's, with both strong in Chemical Engineering.

  1. 1 North KoreaBoth strong in Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Engineering 0.83 Compare
  2. 2 TaiwanBoth strong in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Engineering 0.77 Compare
  3. 3 South KoreaBoth strong in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Energy 0.76 Compare
  4. 4 JapanBoth strong in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Materials Science 0.63 Compare
  5. 5 SingaporeBoth strong in Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Science 0.56 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

Compare China with

Compare any two

Share China's ranking

China on Science Explorer

A card with China's standing and the fields it leads in, for a post or a slide. A link to this page previews as the same card.

Download the card

1200 × 630 PNG, sized for social posts, drawn from the latest snapshot.

Badges for a website8Each links back here and updates with every snapshot

Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where China is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

Overall

Domains

Fields

Subfields

Research fields in China

Questions people ask

Which cities in China have the most research institutes?

By research output, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Wuhan.

Also asked as

  • Which cities in China are research hubs?
See the full answer

Is China's research output still growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 62% higher than in 2018-2021.

Also asked as

  • How fast is research in China growing?
How has China's research grown?

What is China strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, China ranks highest in Engineering (#1 of 131), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#1 of 124) and Environmental Science (#1 of 122). Relative to its size it is most specialised in General Engineering, Acoustics and Ultrasonics and Catalysis.

Also asked as

  • What is Hong Kong strongest at in science?
See the full answer

How open and international is research in China?

30% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 12% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

How open and international is China's research?

Who are the top scientists in China?

Guangmin Zhou, Shilong Piao and Jiaguo Yu rank highest among researchers based in China.

Who are the top researchers in China?
All 1,273 questions in the Question Catalogue

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about China. Posts are plain text and can be reported.