India published more science papers than Germany and Britain combined
Scientific and technical journal articles, thousands, by authors' country, 2008–2023 (latest year published).
Science and engineering articles by authors in India in 2023, up from 80,000 in 2013.
Articles from Germany and Britain together in 2023: the first year India produced more than both combined.
Only China and the US publish more, so research weight is shifting to China and India.
the numbers
| Year | India (k) | Germany and Britain combined (k) | Japan (k) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 46.5 | 181.9 | 106.6 |
| 2009 | 51.9 | 187.2 | 107.5 |
| 2010 | 58.3 | 189.3 | 107.2 |
| 2011 | 69.1 | 194.2 | 109.0 |
| 2012 | 75.6 | 200.9 | 107.5 |
| 2013 | 80.2 | 203.0 | 107.0 |
| 2014 | 88.3 | 203.5 | 103.4 |
| 2015 | 94.8 | 206.4 | 100.6 |
| 2016 | 104.7 | 209.0 | 101.2 |
| 2017 | 115.0 | 210.6 | 101.9 |
| 2018 | 123.1 | 210.2 | 102.0 |
| 2019 | 128.6 | 212.4 | 100.2 |
| 2020 | 145.7 | 212.5 | 100.4 |
| 2021 | 173.1 | 225.2 | 106.3 |
| 2022 | 200.5 | 214.1 | 102.4 |
| 2023 | 228.2 | 206.3 | 96.5 |
source notes & method
All values read from the World Bank API (IP.JRN.ARTC.SC, WDI last updated 8 Oct 2026) on 3 Nov 2026; 2023 is the latest year published. The World Bank takes this series from the US National Science Foundation (National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics), based on Scopus: articles in physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, clinical medicine, biomedical research, engineering and technology, and earth and space sciences, counted fractionally by the countries of the authors' institutions. 2023: India 228,174; Germany 108,782; United Kingdom 97,536; Japan 96,543; China 932,712; United States 430,843. The 'Germany and Britain combined' line is derived by progrss (sum of the two countries' published values, rounded to 0.1 thousand); 2023 = 206.3k, 2022 = 214.1k vs India 200.5k, so 2023 is the first year India is ahead. India 2013: 80,195. Rank 3rd derived from 2023 WDI values for countries. Part of the rise may reflect wider Scopus coverage of Indian journals, not only more output. Takeaway 3's second clause is an interpretation.
Published 3 Nov 2026
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