China has ranked first in the world for the second consecutive year in the publication and impact of academic papers, surpassing the United States. Korea recorded a rise to 7th place.
Springer Nature, which publishes the international journal Nature, announced on the 11th (local time) the results of the Nature Index Research Leaders 2025 survey, which ranks universities and research institutions worldwide based on the number of academic papers published and their impact.
In this year’s survey, China secured first place in the world for the second consecutive year, following last year. Since the Nature Index was first published in 2014, the United States had consistently held the top position until China reached first place for the first time last year, and maintained this first place again this year. By field, the United States ranked first in life sciences and health sciences, while China took first place in physics, chemistry, and earth and environmental sciences.
Following China and the United States were Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, and Korea. Korea moved up one spot from 8th to 7th place compared to last year.
Korea ranked 9th in life sciences, 7th in chemistry, 4th in physics, 9th in earth and environmental sciences, and 8th in health sciences.
In the rankings for universities and research institutions, China’s advance continued. The Chinese Academy of Sciences maintained its position as the world’s top research institution for the second consecutive year, while Harvard University took 2nd place. The Max Planck Institute in Germany dropped from 3rd to 9th place, as rankings for Chinese research institutions and universities improved.
In Korea, Seoul National University ranked 52nd, and the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ranked 82nd, being the only institutions named within the top 100.