Leading 10 cities overall
Beijing’s output, measured by adjusted Share*, increased by 9.14% between 2023 and 2024, while Shanghai’s grew by 20%. The adjusted Share of all US cities in the top 10 declined.
Leading 10 cities by subject
Chinese cities have claimed 6 of the top 10 positions in physical sciences in 2024, the same number as in 2023. Seoul, in fifth place, is the top-ranked non-Chinese city.
The biological sciences top 10 features mostly Western cities, led by New York and Boston. Beijing, in third place, is less than 30 Share points behind Boston. Guangzhou, meanwhile, has jumped from 13th place in 2023 to 9th.
Chinese cities dominate the chemistry rankings, taking the top 10 places in 2024. Tokyo is the highest ranked non-Chinese city, in 12th place. In 2023, Tokyo was in 9th place and New York was in 10th (New York dropped to 14th in 2024).
In Earth and environmental sciences, Beijing has a massive lead over the other cities, with more than double the Share of the second-ranked city, Nanjing. Shanghai and Baltimore–Washington have moved up one place each since 2023, while Wuhan has lost two places.
US cities lead in the health-sciences rankings, claiming the top four places and also 8th. Health sciences is also London’s strongest subject area by far. Guangzhou broke into the top 10 in 2024, jumping from 12th place in 2023.

