European Universities Face Growing Competition as Asian Institutions Rise in Global Rankings

European universities are seeing a decline in their global standing, as their counterparts in Asia continue to advance, according to the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025. The rankings, which assess research-focused institutions globally, reveal that Europe now hosts 91 of the world's top 200 universities—a decline from 99 in 2019. This trend is particularly noticeable in Western Europe, with many institutions slipping down the rankings.

In the Netherlands, eight of the country's 12 ranked universities fell this year. Among them is the Delft University of Technology, which dropped out of the top 50, moving from 48th to a joint 56th position. Similarly, France saw 19 of its 50 ranked institutions decline, with ten recording their lowest-ever rankings.

Germany's performance was mixed. While the Technical University of Munich rose four places to 26th—the highest-ever ranking for a German institution—many universities outside its top five saw a decline. Switzerland, too, showed mixed results; despite ETH Zurich and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne maintaining their high positions, five of the country's 12 ranked universities fell.

Asian universities are increasingly dominating the rankings. China is closing in on the global top 10, while top universities in Japan and South Korea are also climbing. For the second consecutive year, Asia is the most-represented continent in the rankings, surpassing Europe, which used to hold this distinction. Since 2021, 60% of the new entrants have come from Asia, while only 17% are from Europe.

There are, however, positive stories for Europe. Belgium's KU Leuven rose to 43rd from 45th, and Ghent University improved to joint 112th. Sweden's Karolinska Institute climbed to...