Which countries are leading high-impact science in astronomy?

TL;DR

This paper analyzes high-impact astronomy papers and finds that the US, North America, and Europe dominate the field, contradicting claims that China is overtaking in scientific impact.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of high-impact astronomy publications, revealing the geographic distribution of leading authors and challenging recent news claims.

Findings

The US leads in high-impact astronomy papers.

90% of high-impact papers are led by North American and European authors.

Only about 10% of countries host astronomers producing top-impact research.

Abstract

Recent news reports claim that China is overtaking the United States and all other countries in scientific productivity and scientific impact. A straightforward analysis of high-impact papers in astronomy reveals that this is not true in our field. In fact, the United States continues to host, by a large margin, the authors that lead high-impact papers. Moreover, this analysis shows that 90% of all high-impact papers in astronomy are led by authors based in North America and Europe. That is, only about 10% of countries in the world host astronomers that publish "astronomy's greatest hits".