In the 2026 rankings by Nature Index, a worldwide database that tracks establishments and international locations/territories and their scientific output, all however one of many world’s prime 10 research establishments are based mostly in China. Harvard University is the only U.S. consultant, inserting second.
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A researcher is seen at a laboratory of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in 2019. Photo courtesy of the college |
The index tracks scientific output by establishments and international locations based mostly on publications in 145 main journals throughout the pure and well being sciences. It evaluates efficiency utilizing two core metrics: Count (complete variety of papers) and Share (authors’ fractional contribution), capturing each the quantity and high quality of research output.
By each measures, Chinese establishments dominate the rankings.
Among the highest 20 establishments, 14 are Chinese universities or research our bodies. The United States has solely two extra entries apart from Harvard — Stanford University (fifteenth) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (18th).
The remaining positions are held by European establishments, together with the Max Planck Society (twelfth) and the French National Center for Scientific Research (14th).
Topping the listing is the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), which considerably outperforms all rivals in each Share and Count. Since the Nature Index was launched in 2014, CAS has held the primary place with out interruption.
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World’s prime establishments by research capacity in 2026. Graphic by Nature Index |
The hole between CAS and Harvard, the main U.S. establishment, continues to widen. In 2025, CAS produced roughly 2.4 occasions as many publications as Harvard; in 2026, the ratio rose to about 2.9. An identical sample seems in the Share metric, the place CAS exceeded Harvard by round 2.4 occasions in 2025 and almost 2.8 occasions in the most recent rankings.
The divergence displays broader structural shifts in research funding and coverage.
In the United States, instability in science governance and fluctuations in funding have created a more difficult surroundings for researchers and establishments. Reductions in public spending, significantly in primary research, are weighing on long-term scientific capacity.
According to a January report by the Nature Index, the U.S. research panorama has entered a interval of disruption, pushed largely by administrative modifications and finances proposals affecting federal science companies. In 2025, the federal authorities froze or terminated 1000’s of beforehand authorized research grants.
More than 7,800 grants had been affected throughout the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. For fiscal yr 2026, a 35% reduce has been proposed for non-defense research and improvement spending.
By distinction, China is quickly increasing its scientific funding. A March report by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development reveals that China has surpassed the United States in complete R&D spending when adjusted for buying energy parity.
In 2024, China invested roughly $1.03 trillion in research and improvement, barely exceeding the $1.01 trillion spent by the U.S.
Chinese R&D expenditure has grown at a median annual charge of greater than 14% since 2004. Government spending on R&D rose by 90% between 2013 and 2023, in contrast with simply 12% development in U.S. public spending over the identical interval.