Half of the top 20 science cities are now in China — and regional city growth is the key

Many of the patterns evident in the data for this year’s Nature Index Science Cities supplement will be familiar to watchers of global science trends over the past decade. China’s research output in the journals tracked by the Nature Index continues to grow strongly, demonstrated by Beijing extending its lead at the summit of the science cities ranking to almost double the Share of the second-placed city. The fact that this second place is now taken by Shanghai, pushing New York into third, only reinforces this trajectory.

Perhaps a more interesting development in the science cities data this year is the clear emergence of China’s provincial capitals. From Chengdu in the west, to Hefei in the east, these cities — lesser known in the West — are now rubbing shoulders in the top 30 with long-established scientific centres in Europe and North America.

Nature Index 2024 Science cities

The rise of these locations as globally competitive centres for research is as much due to economics and politics as it is science, as China seeks to spread the impact of its knowledge and innovation far and wide. Many of these rapidly developing cities are playing a specialist role in key technology areas such as electric vehicles and solar energy. And their local goals are very much aligned to national strategies to bolster the country’s economic self-sufficiency, such as ‘Made in China 2025’, a policy designed to shift the country towards knowledge-driven high-tech industries.

Even in the health sciences, an area where Chinese cities still lag behind their Western counterparts, there is evident progress. Within a decade, there is every chance that the leading Science Cities in this field — currently dominated by the dense academic–health-care–industry networks built up over many years in areas such as Boston or London — might be in China, too.

We are pleased to acknowledge the financial support of the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park in producing this supplement. As always, Nature retains sole responsibility for all editorial content.

This article is part of Nature Index 2024 Science cities, a supplement produced with financial support from the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Administrative Commission of Zhongguancun Science Park. Nature maintains full independence in all editorial decisions related to the content. For more information about Nature Index, see the homepage.