Asan Medical Center ranked No. 1 in Korea and 64th in the world in the "Nature Index 2026 Research Leaders: Leading Healthcare Institutions."
Among Korean medical institutions, seven made the global top 400: Asan Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), Samsung Medical Center, Yonsei University Health System, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and the National Cancer Center.
On the 6th, according to the Nature Index, Asan Medical Center posted a share of 33.42 in this ranking based on 2025 research output. That was about a 29% increase from last year's 25.94, and its global rank climbed 13 spots from 77th last year to 64th this year. The number of papers was 119.
The Nature Index evaluates institutional research contributions based on papers published in 178 prestigious journals, including Nature, Science, the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), The Lancet, and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Rather than a simple paper count, it uses share that reflects co-authors and affiliated institutions to calculate each institution's substantive research contribution.
In Korea, Seoul National University Hospital ranked 69th globally with a share of 30.86, following Asan Medical Center. Samsung Medical Center had 15.14 for 145th, Yonsei University Health System had 14.52 for 151st, and Korea University Medical Center had 10.10 for 212th.
Seoul St. Mary's Hospital ranked 357th globally with a share of 5.02, and the National Cancer Center ranked 391st with 4.37. Among them, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's share rose 65.2% from a year earlier, the highest growth rate among Korean medical institutions.
Asan Medical Center published a total of 10 papers last year in the world-renowned medical journal the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The hospital said that was the most among Korean medical institutions.
Kim Tae-won, director of the Asan Institute for Life Sciences, said, "This result means Asan Medical Center's research capabilities have been recognized internationally," and added, "We will continue to strengthen support systems that can enhance research competitiveness and create an environment that produces world-class research outcomes."
Meanwhile, U.S. medical institutions continued to dominate the global rankings.
Massachusetts General Hospital topped the list with a share of 182.85, followed by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and West China Hospital of Sichuan University in China, forming the top five. Nine of the top 10 institutions were in the United States.
Meanwhile, the Nature Index's evaluation methodology was revamped starting this year. It shifted from journal-level classification to article-level classification and expanded its scope—once centered on natural and health sciences—to applied sciences and social sciences, allowing more precise reflection of convergent research such as medical artificial intelligence (AI) and Digital Healthcare.