China has just scored a milestone in global research: for the first time, cities on the Chinese mainland make up more than half of the world’s top ten science research hubs, according to the Nature Index 2025 Science Cities supplement.
The number of Chinese mainland cities in the top ten rose to six in 2024, up from five in 2023. Beijing retained its position as the world’s leading science city—a title it has held since 2016—while Shanghai boosted its adjusted Share by an impressive 20 percent over the same period.
The supplement draws on the Nature Index database, tracking research articles from 2015 to 2024. It uses the metric “Share”, a fractional count that reflects an institution’s contribution to published articles. Each city’s Share is the sum of all affiliated institutions’ contributions.
The top ten science cities globally for 2024 are:
- Beijing
- Shanghai
- New York metropolitan area (U.S.)
- Boston metropolitan area (U.S.)
- Nanjing
- Guangzhou
- San Francisco Bay Area (U.S.)
- Wuhan
- Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area (U.S.)
- Hangzhou
While Beijing saw a 9.14 percent rise in adjusted Share between 2023 and 2024, the combined adjusted Share of all U.S. cities in the top ten slipped. “The movements of cities reflect a wider trend in the index of China expanding its lead as the United States loses ground,” notes the supplement.
Chinese mainland cities also lead in key research fields. They occupy all top ten spots in chemistry for the first time and hold six of the top ten places in both physical sciences and earth and environmental sciences. Beijing ranks first worldwide across all three disciplines.
This shift underlines a broader real-world impact: as research powerhouses multiply on the Chinese mainland, global collaborations, startup ecosystems, and innovation pipelines are realigning. For young researchers, entrepreneurs, and digital nomads, these science hubs offer new opportunities to connect, collaborate, and contribute to groundbreaking work.
Stay tuned for more insights on how emerging research cities are reshaping the global science landscape and driving the next wave of innovation.
Reference(s):
Nature: China extends science lead with most high-ranking city hubs
cgtn.com
