Japan, South Korea challenge the West’s place in research rankings: report

Nature Index’s latest research rankings show that China continues to be the clear leader in contributions to scientific journals, with a 22% increase between 2024 and 2025. While China remains well ahead of the rest of the top 10, nearly 10% growth in journal contributions from Japan and South Korea outpaced higher-ranked Western countries such as the U.S., Germany and the U.K.