China publication output
932,712National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics ↗
fractional count · 2023
Innovation · research output
Scientific publications in China
In 2023, China recorded 932,712 fractionally counted science and engineering publications, 28.48% of the world total and the largest output among countries and economies. The measure covers filtered Scopus-indexed peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers.
World share
28.48%
same NCSES table and year
2023 rank
#1
country and economy output
Share in top 1% most cited
1.12%
journal articles · 2022
The primary series uses fractional counting. Internationally coauthored publications are divided among countries according to participating-author shares rather than credited as one full paper to every country. The page rounds for display while formal data retain decimals.
Multi-country historical animation
Science and engineering publication output in a fixed top ten, 2002–2023
The set is fixed using 2023 fractional-count output and followed backward across all 22 published years. It is not an unrestricted global top ten reselected in every frame.
2023
Counting rule：Attributed by author institutional address; international coauthorship is fractionally counted; all 22 years are same-source published observations with no interpolation or zero filling.
Accessible table for the current year
| Rank | Economy | Fractional count | World share |
|---|
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics ↗ · NSF/NCSES Science and Engineering Indicators 2025; peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers indexed in Scopus; attributed by author institutional address and fractionally counted.; fixed 2023 top ten across 22 real annual observationschinainfigures.com
China and the world
China publication output and world share, 2002–2023
China and world totals come from the same SDISC-6 table, enabling same-year, same-definition world shares.
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics ↗ · World share = China fractional count ÷ world fractional count × 100chinainfigures.com
Impact context
Share of journal articles in the top 1% most cited, 2022
The ratio is normalized by field and publication year, with a world benchmark of 1% by construction. It provides impact context rather than publication volume or world-output share.
Source: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics ↗ · The top-1%-cited ratio covers journal articles only, excluding conference papers; the world benchmark is 1% by construction.chinainfigures.com
Included output
Peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers
The output measure includes research articles and conference papers that pass Scopus and NCSES filtering; it excludes editorials, commentaries, errata, letters and working papers.
Country attribution
Author institutional address, not nationality
A publication may involve multiple countries. Fractional counting allocates credit by participating-author shares rather than counting one full paper for every country.
Database limitations
Scopus coverage is not all research output
Scopus requires English titles and abstracts, which can undercount local-language output in non-English-speaking countries. Database coverage and NCSES quality filters also evolve across editions.
Fixed 2023 top ten
Publication output, world share and highly cited context
| Rank | Economy | Fractional count | World share | Top-1%-cited share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China | 932,712 | 28.48% | 1.12% |
| 2 | United States | 430,843 | 13.16% | 1.32% |
| 3 | India | 228,174 | 6.97% | 0.75% |
| 4 | Germany | 108,782 | 3.32% | 1.02% |
| 5 | United Kingdom | 97,536 | 2.98% | 1.56% |
| 6 | Japan | 96,543 | 2.95% | 0.42% |
| 7 | Russia | 85,558 | 2.61% | 0.17% |
| 8 | Italy | 82,771 | 2.53% | 1.16% |
| 9 | South Korea | 71,724 | 2.19% | 0.63% |
| 10 | Canada | 63,720 | 1.95% | 1.13% |
Downloads and revisions
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The page CSV retains years, units, source IDs, verification status and comparability warnings. Each chart also offers its current data as CSV, PNG or SVG.
Page data
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Includes registered formal points, available historical series and scalar derived metrics. UTF-8 encoded for spreadsheets and analysis tools.
Download CSV ↓Data file updated: 29 Jul 2026
Citation
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The title, latest formal data year and source organizations come from existing publication metadata; the access date and current page URL are added when you click.
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Public record
Revision and update timeline
Scientific publications indicator added
Added NCSES fractional-count S&E publication output, same-source world share, a 22-frame fixed-top-ten ranking and normalized top-1%-cited journal article context.
Related sources: National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics, U.S. National Science Foundation ↗
Sources and definitions registered; automated checks passed
Data downloads and revision timeline added
Added page-level formal-data CSV files, chart-level CSV/PNG/SVG exports and a bilingual revision timeline to all indicator pages.
Sources and definitions registered; automated checks passed