Chinese cities dominate global science rankings for first time: Nature

LONDON -- For the first time, Chinese cities account for more than half of the world's top ten scientific research hubs, according to the latest Nature Index supplement, with Beijing retaining its position as the leading global science city - a title it has held since 2016.

The newly released "Nature Index 2025 Science Cities" supplement shows that the number of Chinese cities in the global top ten rose from five in 2023 to six in 2024, marking the first time China holds a majority in the rankings.

The supplement draws on the Nature Index database, which tracks research articles published from 2015 to 2024. Its analysis uses "Share", a fractional count reflecting institutional contribution to publications, as the primary metric, with time-series data adjusted to 2024 levels. Each city's Share is calculated by summing the contributions of all affiliated institutions located within that city.

According to the Nature Index, the world's leading science cities overall are: Beijing, Shanghai, New York metropolitan area (US), Boston metropolitan area (US), Nanjing (China), Guangzhou (China), San Francisco Bay Area (US), Wuhan (China), Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area (US), and Hangzhou (China).

Beijing maintained its No. 1 ranking, with its adjusted Share increasing by 9.14 percent between 2023 and 2024. Shanghai's output rose even more sharply, by 20 percent. Meanwhile, the combined adjusted Share of all US cities in the top ten declined.

"The movements of cities reflect a wider trend in the index of China expanding its lead as the United States loses ground," the supplement noted.

Further analysis shows that Chinese cities hold a strong advantage in chemistry, physical sciences, and earth and environmental sciences, leading the global rankings in all three fields. Notably, Chinese cities claimed all of the top ten positions in chemistry for the first time. In the other two subject areas, they secured six of the top ten spots, with Beijing ranking first worldwide across all three domains.