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China’s upward trajectory in high-quality science means that its institutions dominate most of the fastest-rising tables from the Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders rankings.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, the world's largest research organization and the leading institution in the Nature Index for overall output, is the fastest-rising institute, with a change in adjusted Share of 161.29 between 2023 to 2024. (Adjusted Share is a metric that accounts for the annual variation in the total number of articles in Nature Index journals.)
Tongji University, in Shanghai, ranked sixth based on its change in adjusted Share for the period, had the largest percentage change among the overall top ten fastest-rising institutions (44.1%).
Fastest-rising institutions in the Nature Index
Institutions are ranked by change in adjusted Share 2023-24. Also shown is the institutions' percentage change in adjusted Share and overall Share in 2024.
| Rank | Institution | Country | Share 2024 | Change in adjusted Share 2023-24 | Change in adjusted Share 2023-24 (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chinese Academy of Sciences | China | 2,776.90 | 161.29 | 6.2% |
| 2 | Zhejiang University | China | 819.57 | 124.89 | 18.0% |
| 3 | Jilin Universit | China | 436.89 | 121.03 | 38.3% |
| 4 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China | 713.24 | 118.46 | 19.9% |
| 5 | Fudan University | China | 659.69 | 117.26 | 21.6% |
| 6 | Tongji University | China | 334.88 | 102.42 | 44.1% |
| 7 | University of Science and Technology of China | China | 850.60 | 94.48 | 12.5% |
| 8 | Peking University | China | 812.32 | 90.37 | 12.5% |
| 9 | Xi'an Jiaotong University | China | 346.07 | 87.36 | 33.8% |
| 10 | South China University of Technology | China | 323.52 | 85.55 | 35.9% |
When looking at the fastest-rising institutions by subject area, there are a few research organizations outside of China that also stand out for their remarkable growth in 2023-24.
The University of Washington in Seattle, the University of Chicago in Illinois and Monash University in Australia are the only non-Chinese institutions to make it into the fastest-rising top ten in biological sciences, for example. Germany’s Max Planck Society is the only non-Chinese institution to make it into the top ten for Earth and environmental sciences.
In the health sciences — where Chinese institutions tend to perform less well than in natural-science subjects — Stanford University in California was the fastest-rising institution from 2023 to 2024. Stanford increased its adjusted Share by 33.7% for the period. Seoul National University in South Korea and the University of Sydney in Australia also made the top ten, along with three other US institutions.
The results are encouraging for some institutions that recorded significant drops in the overall rankings this year. Stanford, for example, has tumbled from 6th place in the Nature Index 2023 Research Leaders to 15th place in last year's tables and now 16th place in this year's ranking. The Max Planck Society has lost five places in a single year, falling from 4th to 9th.
The top ten fastest risers in chemistry and physical sciences were all from China, led by Shanghai Jiao Tong University, with a 30.1% increase in adjusted Share, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with a 6.3% increase in adjusted Share, respectively.
China’s dominance in the physical sciences is particularly stark — the fastest-rising non-Chinese institution in physical sciences is KAUST, in Saudi Arabia, at rank 40.
The rankings for fastest risers also reveal the countries that are punching above their weight. Australia, for example, has two fastest-rising institutions in the top ten, one in health sciences and one in biological sciences. The country dropped out of the overall top 10 for the first time in the Nature Index 2023 Research Leaders (overtaken by India) and is now in 11th place.
South Korea, with one institution in the health sciences fastest-rising top ten, is the only country in the overall top ten to improve its position — moving from 8th place in last year's tables to 7th.
A look at the fastest-rising countries highlights how strong the Asia-Pacific region is by this measure. China, with a change in adjusted Share of 4,753.89 from 2023 to 2024, was the fastest-rising country, followed by South Korea, with a change in adjusted Share of 78.64. Singapore (45.33) and India (34.69) were the third- and fourth-fastest-rising countries.
China, South Korea and India have the further distinction of being the only top ten countries in the overall Research Leaders table to also rank within the top 15 fastest-rising countries or territories.
View more results from the Nature Index 2025 Research Leaders release here.
