10 Most Advanced Countries in Engineering

Engineering is one of the most important fields out there currently, and the most advanced countries in engineering have taken full advantage of this fact. The world would basically fail to operate if engineering was not a viable profession. In fact, even the current technological innovations would probably not be made at this pace if it wasn’t for engineering. It is a widely held belief that the reason the US was able to utterly and completely dominate the world market in the 20th century was due to the development of the engineering courses taught at various universities throughout the United States of America. Engineering combines the theoretical part of science with the practical and hence, is a proper demonstration of innovation and thus, integral to innovation as well.

While the United States was absolutely dominant in engineering in the 20th century, that position may now be in threat, as developments in technology may no longer make the US the holy grail for engineers. Instead, European nations have become dream destinations for engineers as well, while in Asia, China’s bustling economy has led to a huge demand in engineers.

Of course, engineering isn’t only about innovation. It is integral to the way we develop as a society and ensures that we are able to manage our resources and use them in the most effective manner. Without engineering, we would have none of the infrastructure necessary to develop. Without engineering, we would be unable to harness and use electricity in a variety of beneficial ways. Without engineering, we wouldn’t even be able to have access to sewage systems, a system which was first designed thousands of years ago. Indeed, it would be safe to consider engineering to be one of the most crucial professions of a developed civilization.

Advancements in engineering are absolutely necessary to ensure that resources are used in the best possible manner, while ensuring sustainability as well. This is why the most advanced countries in engineering have dedicated a significant portion of their budgets in research and development to ensure that engineering processes are not only efficient, but also friendly towards the environment. Thus, there is a major connection between countries which are advanced in engineering and the 10 most advanced countries in science, and you will find a lot of countries which are present in both the lists.

Determining which country is the most advanced in engineering is a pretty arduous task, mainly because engineering has many fields and few objective criteria for judgment. Furthermore, up to date research on this topic is pretty rare as well. Hence, we had to rely on a report by Times Higher Education and we used two criteria for our list. The first was the number of papers published pertaining to engineering for each country. The second was the number of citations pertaining to engineering made by each country. Using multiple criteria helps rule out the inherent biases present in each criterion, and thus, presents a much more objective and accurate ranking. With this in mind, here’s to learning more about the most advanced countries in engineering:

9. South Korea

Numbers of papers published: 32,331

Ranking according to number of papers published: 9

Number of citations made: 114,232

Ranking according to number of citations made: 10

Insider Monkey Score: 11

South Korea has been one of the surprise packages of Asia. In a matter of decades, the nation has become technologically advanced and has taken the engineering industry by storm. Now, a person is five times more likely to major in engineering here, as opposed to a person in the United States. In fact, South Korea’s education system is designed specifically to encourage students to enter engineering, which they very often do.

9. Taiwan

Numbers of papers published: 28,951

Ranking according to number of papers published: 10

Number of citations made: 118,972

Ranking according to number of citations made: 9

Insider Monkey Score: 11

Taiwan, the next one on our list of most advanced countries in engineering is another Asian country which has improved by leaps and bound in recent decades, and now, has a large number of universities which offer a variety of degrees in different fields of engineering. However, despite these developments, Taiwan has actually seen profits going down, as it has faced struggles in innovation, and competition has increased due to the entry of China and Vietnam.

8. Italy

Numbers of papers published: 32,456

Ranking according to number of papers published: 8

Number of citations made: 162,177

Ranking according to number of citations made: 8

Insider Monkey Score: 12

We are continuing our list of most advanced countries in engineering with Italy that has been considered to be one of the pioneers of mixing science and technology, and this dates back to the Renaissance era. The engineering feats achieved in that era hundreds of years ago are still admired to this day, and are often taught in universities around the world, including in Italy.

7. Canada

Numbers of papers published: 33,391

Ranking according to number of papers published: 7

Number of citations made: 164,433

Ranking according to number of citations made: 7

Insider Monkey Score: 13

It is no coincidence that Canada is one of the most advanced countries in engineering. After all, it even has societies dedicated to ensuring proper communication between engineers, hence allowing them to exchange and also further develop ideas.

6. France

Numbers of papers published: 36,768

Ranking according to number of papers published: 6

Number of citations made: 199,908

Ranking according to number of citations made: 6

Insider Monkey Score: 14

The French industry has been integral in the development of transportation systems whose defining feature is their high speed, such as bullet trains and the ill-fated, ahead of its time Concorde. Even the French subway companies are considered to be incredible feats of engineering. Furthermore, the infrastructure of France is famous throughout the world as well, such as the Notre Dame Cathedral as well as the world famous and one of the modern wonders of the world, the Eiffel Tower.

4. England

Numbers of papers published: 44,677

Ranking according to number of papers published: 4

Number of citations made: 235,003

Ranking according to number of citations made: 5

Insider Monkey Score: 16

Civil engineering has taken England by storm in recent years and civil engineers have been in high demand in the country. Some of the recent engineering projects undertaken include a flood alleviation scheme to protect Leeds from potential floods, the longest domestic railway system in at least a century, building homes on the sea and various others, which can be viewed here.

4. Germany

Numbers of papers published: 43,395

Ranking according to number of papers published: 5

Number of citations made: 236,022

Ranking according to number of citations made: 3

Insider Monkey Score: 16

Germany is considered to be a model of efficiency, and German engineering is famous throughout the world, especially for the build of its cars such as the Mercedes and the BMW. Germany has managed to excel in most niches and has perhaps contributed more towards innovation than any other country. Despite a population smaller than many countries, Germany has managed to make breakthroughs in engineering which the rest of the world has immediately tried to adapt.

3. Japan

Numbers of papers published: 60,671

Ranking according to number of papers published: 3

Number of citations made: 235,253

Ranking according to number of citations made: 4

Insider Monkey Score: 17

Known as the most technologically developed nation in the world, Japan that ranks third on our list of most advanced countries in engineering is famous for its bullet trains, which are the epitome of its engineering prowess. The Engineering Advancement Association of Japan has been established for this particular purpose and aims to develop diversified activities in the field of engineering.

2. China

Numbers of papers published: 72,967

Ranking according to number of papers published: 2

Number of citations made: 281,099

Ranking according to number of citations made: 2

Insider Monkey Score: 18

China, the number two on our list of most advanced countries in engineering is the biggest country in the world, and has the fastest developing economy in the world as well. With these two elements, it is no surprise that China is a heaven for engineers where technological innovations in the field are needed to further improve efficiency. Hence, China has focused on innovation and advancement in engineering and soon could overtake the US and take the top position!

1. United States of America

Numbers of papers published: 188,466

Ranking according to number of papers published: 1

Number of citations made: 1,147,999

Ranking according to number of citations made: 1

Insider Monkey Score: 19

As we mentioned earlier, the United State of America’s domination over the engineering industry has lessened due to global developments. However, despite waning influence, the US still easily tops the list of the 10 most advanced countries in engineering by a large, comfortable distance as evidenced by the fact that the number of citations made by the US is nearly five times that of second-placed China. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt. While the US may have a huge number of published papers and citations, they also have a much, much larger population than say, Japan or Germany who also rank quite high. This is not to take away from the achievements of the US of course. They are pioneers in many engineering disciplines and are currently at the front as well.