Nearly half of the world’s Nature Index chemistry research is now done in China

2026-05-20 | original

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Why This Matters

China's dominance in chemistry research, accounting for over half of the world's output in the Nature Index, signifies a major shift in global scientific leadership. This trend impacts innovation, research collaborations, and the competitive landscape in the tech industry, highlighting China's growing influence in scientific advancements.

Key Takeaways

China produces 53% of the world's chemistry research in the Nature Index.
The US accounts for 15%, indicating a significant shift in research dominance.
Global collaboration patterns are likely to evolve as China leads in chemistry research.

Deep dive

A country-level breakdown of chemistry output in the Nature Index illustrates just how dominant China is in the subject. In 2025*, China was responsible for 53% of total chemistry Share in the Index. The United States, ranked second in the subject, accounted for 15%.

Source: Nature Index

Subject share

The top 10 countries for chemistry in the Nature Index in 2025* are ranked by the proportion of their total research output that is related to chemistry. For example, one-quarter of US output during the period was chemistry-related, compared with nearly 60% for India.

Collaboration nations

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