China topped the Nature Index, a global indicator that evaluates scientific research capacity, for the third straight year. Korea held seventh place, the same as last year.
On the 10th, Springer Nature, the publisher of the international journal Nature, released the 2026 Nature Index research leaders with these findings. The Nature Index is an indicator that evaluates the research performance of countries and institutions based on the number of papers published in leading journals and their impact.
This year's assessment broadened beyond its previous focus on basic science and medical science. Starting with this assessment, Springer Nature added 17 applied science journals and 15 social science journals, expanding the scope of analysis.
In the country rankings, China maintained its position as the world's largest producer of research output. China's research performance in 2025 rose 22.4% from a year earlier. The United States ranked second, followed by Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Korea, India, Canada and Italy.
Among the top 10 countries, China was the only one to post double-digit growth. Japan and Korea each recorded growth rates in the 9% range, highlighting notable expansion of research capacity in East Asia.
Korea was particularly strong in applied science. Korea ranked third worldwide in applied science, and its growth rate in this field reached 14%. By contrast, it ranked eighth in natural science, leading to assessments that its basic science competitiveness lags behind.
Ramon Pacheco Pardo of King's College London said, "Korea's success is not due to a particular ministry, corporations or a single field, but the result of the entire ecosystem," adding, "Korea's research system has long been linked to industrial strategy, and it has been further strengthened by advanced manufacturing and technology-intensive exports."
China also made notable gains in the institutional rankings. The Chinese Academy of Sciences took overall first place, and Harvard University in the United States yielded the top spot among universities to Zhejiang University of China for the first time since the 2015 tally.
Chinese institutions and universities effectively dominated the top tier. Except for Harvard University, all spots from first to 12th were taken by Chinese institutions or universities. Germany's Max Planck Society fell to 13th, dropping out of the top 10.
Among Korean institutions, Seoul National University ranked 58th, down six places from the previous year. KAIST rose two places to 80th.