China is now the top spender on research and development, investing about $1.03 trillion in 2024, compared with $1.01 trillion by the US, according to OECD data.
For decades, the US led global science through public funding, open research, and breakthroughs like the internet, GPS, and semiconductors.
China has increased research spending about 10% annually for over a decade, including 9.7% in 2024, while the US grew 3.4%, according to a Fudan University researcher.
China leads research output, surpassing the US in top 1% cited papers since 2019, most-cited papers by 2022, total publications in 2024, and patent filings at about 1.8 million versus 603,191 by the US.
US federal research spending fell from 1.86% of GDP in 1964 to about 0.66% in 2021, as public funding declined and private industry shifted toward development over open science.
Author: Saikat Bhattacharya
