On November 24, the Nature Index 2023 Science Cities supplement was released, which is based on the Nature Index database, covering research articles in 82 natural-science journals published between 2015 and 2022. The analysis uses article "Share" as the primary metric, with time series figures adjusted to 2022 levels.

The supplement includes the "Leading 200 Science Cities" list, with a total of 32 cities in Chinese mainland on it. According to the Nature Index, the ten leading science cities in China have made strong gains from 2021 to 2022. Beijing remains the world's leading science city, and contributes almost 20 percent of China's total Share in the Nature Index. The other four Chinese cities among the Top 10 are Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou and Wuhan. Besides, the top four in terms of percentage growth in adjusted Share are Xi'an, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Tianjin.

Earth and environmental sciences are areas of strategic focus for China, which surpassed the United States as the leading nation in the subject in the Nature Index in 2022. The fastest-rising cities, Beijing and Nanjing, recorded an absolute increase in adjusted Share from 2021 to 2022 of 165 and 72, respectively.

—Nature Index 2023 Science Cities, an editorially independent supplement, 23-11-2023