In 2009, North America maintains an unquestionable supremacy in the academic world. The lead of US and Canadian institutions is particularly noticeable in the field of Social Sciences. This may help explain the influence of US social and economic thought worldwide. However, in Engineering, Technology and Computer Sciences Asia and Europe outweigh North America by a small margin. This canvas seems to correlate to the overall economic trends that suggest a North American declining strength in the technology industries.
100 World-Class Universities by Scientific Field and by Region | |||||||
Scientific Field | North America | Europe | Asia & Pacific | Total | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | Number | Percent | ||
| Natural Sciences and Mathematics | 56 | 55.4% | 31 | 30.7% | 14 | 13.9% | 101 |
| Engineering/Technology and Computer Sciences | 48 | 48.0% | 23 | 23.0% | 29 | 29.0% | 100 |
| Life and Agriculture Sciences | 63 | 63.0% | 30 | 30.0% | 7 | 7.0% | 100 |
| Clinical Medicine and Pharmacy | 61 | 61.0% | 32 | 32.0% | 7 | 7.0% | 100 |
| Social Sciences | 78 | 78.0% | 18 | 18.0% | 4 | 4.0% | 100 |
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Sources: see Institute of Higher Education, Shanghai.
