China tops Nature Index rankings in high-quality research

China remained the world's leading contributor to high-quality scientific research, according to the Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders rankings released on Wednesday.

The latest rankings showed that China's research output increased by 22.4% between 2024 and 2025, making it the only country among the global top 10 to achieve double-digit growth.

The United States ranked second, followed by Germany.

Across the seven major subject areas tracked by the index, China ranked first in physical sciences, chemistry, biological sciences, applied sciences, and earth and environmental sciences. The United States led in health sciences and social sciences.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences retained its position as the world's top research institution and ranked first in all subject areas except health sciences and social sciences. Nine Chinese institutions were listed among the global top 10, up from eight in the previous edition.

The Nature Index, which measures high-quality research output based on publications in leading international journals, expanded its coverage this year to include 17 applied-science journals, one conference and 15 social-science journals.

"With expanded disciplinary coverage and a recalibrated methodology, the Nature Index now provides a more comprehensive and precise view of high-quality research output," said Simon Baker, chief editor of Nature Index.

"In terms of the results, we are continuing to see extremely strong performance from China," he added.