China may soon eclipse the US in at least 8 fields of science

While China ramps up its commitment to science, the United States seems to be stalling.

In fact, China may soon eclipse the US in at least eight major scientific fields, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's (OECD) 2015 Science, Technology and Industry Scoreboard report.

The report shows which countries have the highest number of studies referenced by other researchers — a common measure of scientific excellence. Then it breaks the data down into 27 fields, revealing which countries have the largest share of the top 10% most-cited articles in each field.

From 2003-2012, US researchers swept all 27 disciplines with more articles in the top 10% than any other country. However, China placed a close second in eight of the disciplines.

While the total number of American scientific publications increased by 50% from 2003-2012, they quadrupled in China. The number of scientific articles among the top 10% cited in their field is also catching up — China claimed over 37,000 while US scientists had 102,000 in 2012.

A variety of forces may be driving China's rising worldwide recognition in science.

More scientists have moved to China in the past few years, while more are leaving the US, the report explains. And though more students overall receive doctorates in the US, China now awards more doctorates in the sciences — 27,000 versus 24,000.

The two countries were also the top backers of research and development in 2013: The US spent $433 billion, while China spent $318 billion. Yet China's government now spends a larger portion of its GDP on research and development than the US does. By 2013, foreign investments in China ($350 billion) surpassed those made in the US ($300 billion).

All of that investment in education, research, and industry adds up to a tangible effect: China has become the top exporter in the world — a manufacturing capability that requires scientific expertise.

Below are eight fields China could soon dominate, according to the report.