Korean Media: South Korea Ranks 7th in Global Research Output, Japan 5th — Where Does China Stand?
On July 14, Korean media outlet *Herald Economic* published an article stating that South Korea's research level is projected to rank 7th globally in 2025, representing a rise of about 10% compared to 2024.
China ranks first, the United States second, Germany third, the United Kingdom fourth, Japan fifth, France sixth, South Korea seventh, India eighth, Canada ninth, and Italy tenth among the world’s top ten research-producing countries.
China continues to maintain its position as the world’s largest producer of scientific research output. Last year, China’s research output increased by 22.4% compared to 2024—making it the only country among the top ten global research producers to achieve double-digit growth.
South Korea, Japan, and India all rank within the global top ten. Both South Korea and Japan saw research output growth rates close to 10%, surpassing most Western nations in the top ten.
Among the top ten countries globally, four are from Europe and two from North America. The United States and Germany ranked in the top five across all seven academic disciplines. The U.S. leads in health sciences and social sciences. The United Kingdom ranks in the top five across all fields except chemistry.
The recent release of the "Nature Index Research Leaders 2026" by the Nature Index includes these findings.
Looking at institutional performance, the Chinese Academy of Sciences remains number one globally overall and also leads in most academic fields excluding health sciences and social sciences.
Nine of the top ten institutions are located in China—up from eight last year. Zhejiang University has risen to second place.
Seoul National University ranks 58th globally, while the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) ranks 80th.
Harvard University ranks third overall and tops in health sciences and social sciences. Of the top ten institutions in social sciences, nine are from the United States.
In life sciences, Harvard University ranks second, followed by the Max Planck Society in third.
European institutions demonstrated strong performance in physical sciences, with four organizations—including the Max Planck Society and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics—ranking in the top ten.
According to this latest Nature Index data, China continues to lead the global research landscape, and the entire East Asian region has outperformed other regions.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870654470378496/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.