Nearly half of top AI researchers studied in China
Share of top-tier AI researchers by country of undergraduate degree, 2022 versus 2019.
Of top-tier AI researchers did their first degree in China in 2022, up from 29% in 2019.
Came from US undergraduate programmes, down from 20%. Europe fell from 17% to 12%.
In 2022, institutions in China employed 28% of top-tier AI researchers, up from 11%; the US share fell from 59% to 42%.
the numbers
| Undergraduate origin (%) | 2019 (%) | |
|---|---|---|
| China | 47 | 29 |
| United States | 18 | 20 |
| Europe | 12 | 17 |
| India | 5 | 8 |
| South Korea | 2 | 2 |
source notes & method
Sample: authors of papers accepted at NeurIPS 2022, MacroPolo's proxy for the top ~20% of AI researchers; a narrow definition of 'AI talent'. Published March 2024. Percentages are as quoted from the tracker by Gigazine, Asia Economy and MIT Technology Review (the tracker shows them as chart images). Workplace shares (US 42%, China 28%) are cited for 2022; other regions' workplace shares were not verifiable and are not shown. Among top-tier researchers working at US institutions, 38% did undergrad in China and 37% in the US.
Published 4 Oct 2026
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