Bangladesh climbs seven spots to 54th in Nature Index global research rankings

Bangladesh has advanced seven places in the latest Nature Index, securing the 54th position among 194 countries in global research output, reflecting steady progress in the country's scientific research landscape.

According to the latest Nature Index, published on May 10 based on research papers appearing in 178 leading international scientific journals, Bangladesh moved up from 61st place last year. The country also retained its 13th position among nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The index shows that Bangladeshi researchers published 143 research articles, with an overall contribution share of 35.74. However, despite the improved global ranking, Bangladesh's overall share of publications in high-impact international journals declined compared with 2024.

Among the country's leading research institutions, icddr,b topped the list with 37 publications, followed by the University of Dhaka with 21, BRAC University with 14, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) with nine, Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET) and Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KUET) with six each, Jahangirnagar University with four, and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) with two.

Globally, China's Zhejiang University overtook Harvard University to claim the top position in the academic institution rankings. Chinese universities occupied four of the top five spots overall and dominated the fields of chemistry and applied sciences, while Western institutions continued to lead in health and social sciences.

In the overall institutional rankings, the Chinese Academy of Sciences remained the world's leading research organization with 12,822 publications, while nine of the top 10 institutions in this category were from China.

At the country level, China ranked first with 58,532 publications, followed by the United States (36,860), Germany (12,176), United Kingdom (11,640) and Japan (6,807).

In South Asia, India ranked eighth globally with 3,542 publications, while Pakistan stood 44th with 365 publications, ahead of Bangladesh. Sri Lanka ranked 95th, Nepal 88th, Afghanistan 114th, and Myanmar 123rd. Micronesia occupied the final position in the index with a single published paper.