Articles are filtered using SDG-related classifiers available via Digital Science's Dimensions database. Nature Index's signature metric, Share, is used to measure cities' SDG-related article output for the period 2015–20 and for all output in the Nature Index journals in 2020.

Local challenges help to explain why some Sustainable Development Goals are prioritized over others

Among the 10 selected SDGs (of 17 total), 3 stand out as having the greatest related output in the Nature Index journals:

SDG3 (Good health and wellbeing), SDG7 (Affordable clean energy) and SDG13 (Climate action)

  • SDG3: Good health and wellbeing
  • SDG7: Affordable clean energy
  • SDG13: Climate action

Baltimore–Washington is the most prolific area for SDG3-related research, with a Share of 264.45. Baltimore is home to Johns Hopkins University, which in 2019 spent a record US$2.9 billion on research and development, higher than any other university in the United States for the 41st consecutive year, according to the US National Science Foundation.

Beijing leads, with a Share of 1,241.53 for SDG7. The city hosts the Bluetech Clean Air Alliance, a non-profit organization launched in 2012 to improve China's air quality. Of its 31 institutional members, 21 are drawn from the Chinese cities highlighted here, including 12 in Beijing.

Institutions in Boulder, Colorado, have the highest proportion of total research output related to all 17 SDGs (16.3%) among the leading 20 cities. The city's strongest performance is for SDG13 (ranked fifth), with a Share of 197.79.

Contents

Top targets
Local challenges help to explain why some sustainable development goals are prioritized over others.
Cities collaborate to safeguard oceans
Key targets for marine conservation missed a 2020 deadline, but momentum is growing.
Reversing the plastic tide
Strong government policies are essential to deliver on a pledge to clean up the sea.
Conserving communities while protecting reefs
Partnerships forged in the Pacific region pursue marine sustainability targets.
Uneven spread of research leaves poorer cities short of solutions
A concentration of knowledge and funding advances Sustainable Development Goals, but in the global south it's a different story, says Xuemei Bai.
Solid contenders in China's pursuit of better batteries
Safe and efficient storage for renewable energy is key to meeting sustainability targets.
Fighting hunger locally, from the ground up
Commended by the United Nations, a Brazilian city's crisis response linked all aspects of food security.
A goal to level the playing field in a metropolis of inequality
Plans for a more equitable New York are supported by huge regional research firepower.
The tables
The leading 50 cities and metropolitan areas in the Nature Index overall, and for SDG-related output.

Leading 50 science cities

The leading 50 science cities and metropolitan areas ranked by article share (Share) in 2020.

Also included are each city's article count (Count) in 2020, and its contribution to the location's total Share of the year.

Rank City/metropolitan area

Share

2020

Count

2020

Contribution to location's

Share (%)
1 Beijing 2895.37 6452 20.3%
2 New York metropolitan area 2141.10 5079 10.4%
3 Boston metropolitan area 1861.13 4280 9.0%
4 San Francisco Bay Area 1742.71 4077 8.4%
5 Shanghai 1591.95 3468 11.2%
6 Baltimore - Washington 1394.25 3758 6.7%
7 Tokyo metropolitan area 1278.85 2825 39.0%
8 Nanjing 1001.69 2125 7.0%
9 Paris metropolitan area 983.31 2792 44.2%
10 Los Angeles metropolitan area 889.72 2369 4.3%
11 London metropolitan area 819.06 2426 21.1%
12 Chicago metropolitan area 812.57 2024 3.9%
13 Seoul metropolitan area 795.55 1,712 52.3%
14 Guangzhou 738.21 1,801 5.2%
15 Wuhan 717.06 1,593 5.0%
16 Singapore 635.18 1,295 100.0%
17 Zürich 598.88 1,519 41.5%
18 Cambridge 595.34 1,669 15.4%
19 San Diego metropolitan area 579.86 1,438 3.9%
20 Hefei 567.15 1,347 4.0%
21 Berlin metropolitan area 528.79 1,463 11.1%
22 Philadelphia metropolitan area 508.73 1,307 2.5%
23 Hangzhou 502.82 1,206 3.5%
24 Oxford 493.53 1,534 12.7%
25 Tianjin 491.68 1,097 3.4%
26 Munich 487.71 1,387 10.3%
27 Hong Kong 482.92 1,296 3.4%
28 Shenzhen 412.53 1,295 2.9%
29 Houston metropolitan area 407.73 1,144 2.0%
30 Ann Arbor 400.02 976 1.9%
31 Melbourne 391.23 1,241 29.9%
32 Toronto metropolitan area 387.56 985 23.8%
33 Seattle metropolitan area 385.81 1,106 1.9%
34 Atlanta metropolitan area 369.24 957 1.8%
35 Xi'an 367.48 872 2.6%
36 Chengdu 349.28 693 2.4%
37 Changchun 348.46 739 2.4%
38 Lausanne 340.81 856 23.6%
39 Sydney 334.94 1,050 25.6%
40 Daejeon 319.85 789 21.0%
41 Ithaca 308.62 896 1.5%
42 Barcelona metropolitan area 308.16 1,060 24.9%
43 Kyoto 304.16 773 9.3%
44 Madrid 297.08 1,036 24.0%
45 Changsha 295.13 683 2.1%
46 Copenhagen 277.11 939 67.9%
47 Tsukuba 272.90 994 8.3%
48 Stockholm 271.73 271.73 38.9%
49 Montreal metropolitan area 263.61 747 16.2%
50 Austin 261.73 697 1.3%

14 Chinese cities feature among the top 50:

Beijing NO.1 Shanghai NO.5 Nanjing NO.8 Guangzhou NO.14 Wuhan NO.15 Hefei NO.20 Hangzhou NO.23 Tianjin NO.25 Hong Kong NO.27 Shenzhen NO.28 Xi'an NO.35 Chengdu NO.36 Changchun NO.37 Changsha NO.45

Leading 50 science cities in SDG research

The leading 50 science cities and metropolitan areas ranked by SDG article share between 2015 and 2020 (SDG Share 2015–20).

The list is based on research outputs pegged to the UN's' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Each city's SDG article count (SDG Count) and proportion of SDG Share to the city's total Share (SDG %) are shown for the same period.

Rank City/metropolitan area

SDG share

2015-2020

SDG Count

2015-2020

SDG(%)

2015-2020
1 Beijing 1,753.49 3,622 11.9%
2 San Francisco Bay Area 875.16 2,077 8.5%
3 New York metropolitan area 862.76 2,284 7.0%
4 Baltimore - Washington 745.40 2,129 8.9%
5 Boston metropolitan area 720.97 1,849 6.5%
6 Shanghai 579.22 1,271 7.9%
7 Nanjing 499.42 1,061 10.5%
8 Singapore 427.73 809 11.9%
9 Los Angeles metropolitan area 414.82 1,092 7.8%
10 Seoul metropolitan area 395.26 784 8.7%
11 Wuhan 325.73 681 9.8%
12 Chicago metropolitan area 316.02 782 6.7%
13 Paris metropolitan area 300.29 964 5.1%
14 San Diego metropolitan area 295.05 782 8.0%
15 Guangzhou 286.37 677 9.8%
16 Tokyo metropolitan area 278.98 698 3.7%
17 Tianjin 273.49 571 12.5%
18 London metropolitan area 268.96 940 6.0%
19 Boulder 266.42 752 16.3%
20 Zürich 258.72 650 7.2%
21 Seattle metropolitan area 255.97 775 11.4%
22 Hefei 253.95 599 9.7%
23 Atlanta metropolitan area 253.85 749 11.6%
24 Melbourne 240.64 719 10.6%
25 Cambridge 240.04 737 7.0%
26 Hong Kong 236.98 612 10.4%
27 Sydney 226.07 649 13.2%
28 Changchun 204.45 398 11.9%
29 Berlin metropolitan area 201.89 560 6.7%
30 Suzhou 200.37 373 15.6%
31 Hangzhou 194.05 452 8.9%
32 Austin 181.58 398 11.4%
33 Philadelphia metropolitan area 176.52 521 5.8%
34 Oxford 175.28 579 6.2%
35 Ann Arbor 162.52 392 7.6%
36 Xi'an 159.18 417 10.5%
37 Dalian 154.81 318 14.7%
38 Brisbane 148.29 456 13.1%
39 Houston metropolitan area 148.29 375 6.1%
40 Daejeon 141.81 322 8.7%
41 Changsha 141.67 316 11.2%
42 Toronto metropolitan area 140.42 383 6.5%
43 State College 136.06 350 10.8%
44 Copenhagen 132.37 433 8.4%
45 Chengdu 127.07 312 9.0%
46 Shenzhen 124.44 486 10.6%
47 Exeter 122.31 377 29.1%
48 Durham 122.29 392 9.2%
49 Harbin 120.24 231 15.7%
50 Ithaca 119.79 346 7.2%

17 Chinese cities feature among the top 50:

Beijing NO.1 Shanghai NO.6 Nanjing NO.7 Wuhan NO.11 Guangzhou NO.15 Tianjin NO.17 Hefei NO.22 Hong Kong NO.26 Changchun NO.28 Suzhou NO.30 Hangzhou NO.31 Xi'an NO.36 Dalian NO.37

Past Reports

Nature Index Science Cities

2021

Nature Index Science Cities

2020

Nature Index Science Cities

2018

Nature Index Science Cities

2017

Nature Index Science Cities

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