China vs Iran: Annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people
China
661.16 articles per million people
in 2023
Iran
607.95 articles per million people
in 2023
China rank
49th
Iran rank
50th
Annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people over time
- China
- Iran
How they compare
China currently reports 661.16 articles per million people against 607.95 articles per million people in Iran, a difference of 53.21 articles per million people.
That makes China's figure about 1.1 times Iran's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 28 shared years of data; in 1996 it was China ahead.
China ranks 49th and Iran ranks 50th of 196 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and Iran in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | Iran | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 32.34 articles per million people | 14.23 articles per million people | 18.11 articles per million people | China |
| 2000s | 115.25 articles per million people | 110.29 articles per million people | 4.96 articles per million people | China |
| 2010s | 297.6 articles per million people | 446.67 articles per million people | 149.07 articles per million people | Iran |
| 2020s | 575 articles per million people | 640.03 articles per million people | 65.04 articles per million people | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people, China or Iran?
- China, at 661.16 articles per million people against 607.95 articles per million people in Iran as of 2023.
- What is the difference in annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people between China and Iran?
- 53.21 articles per million people, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and Iran?
- 28 years are reported by both, from 1996 to 2023.
- How do China and Iran rank globally for annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people?
- China ranks 49th and Iran ranks 50th of 196 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- National Science Foundation Science and Engineering Indicators, via World Bank (2026); United Nations Population Division, national statistical offices, and Eurostat, via World Bank (2026) – processed, published as Annual articles published in scientific and technical journals per million people. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Scientific and technical journal articles per million people. Disciplines include physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, clinical medicine, biomedical research, engineering and technology, and earth and space sciences.