Four Years of COVID-19: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Pakistan Have the Highest Research Growth Rates From 2020-2023

Abstract

We tried to assess the global research scholarly output after COVID-19 (from 2020 to 2023). Based on Scopus record, the world has produced 15, 041, 579 publications with 86, 165, 933 citations. We analyzed those countries, which have published at least 150, 000 research papers. For each country, we retrieved total number of publications, % growth rate, total citations, citations per paper, Field Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI), and % international collaboration. Twenty-seven (n=27) countries were found to be highly productive, with China leading the way in number of publications. Citation metrics are dominated by the USA, China, and European countries. Specifically, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Australia are notable for their high impact and influence. Saudi Arabia achieved the highest growth rate of 53.5%, and highest international collaboration (76.5%). Infact Saudi Arabia also attained high citations per article (8.8), and an FWCI of 1.63. While, Pakistan exhibited an 8.4 citations per article, FWCI of 1.54, growth rate of 34.9%, and collaborative percentage of 64.9%. Egypt also attained the 2nd highest growth rate (n=36.1). Based on four (n=4) distinct performance metrics, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were in the top ten group.