This year, the ranking includes a record number of universities - 606, which is 14% more than in 2020 (533). The majority of universities retained their positions, while 54% of Russian universities were able to improve or maintain their previous performance. In addition, China and Russia dominate the top 100.

"The most competitive ranking of universities in emerging economies so far shows the success of China's investment in the higher education sector, as China becomes the first country or region to take the top five positions in this ranking. It is also very nice to see that other countries, such as Pakistan and Russia, are also leading the ranking. The Covid-19 pandemic has led to a number of changes in the higher education system, many of which have turned to online learning and teaching, and the number of students traveling abroad has decreased. We look forward to seeing how universities from emerging economies position themselves in the coming year and what opportunities they offer both domestically and globally, " commented Phil Batey, Director of Knowledge at THE.

The ranking uses the same 13 performance indicators as the World University Ranking to evaluate educational institutions based on their teaching, research, knowledge transfer, and international outlook. But they are recalibrated to reflect the development priorities of universities in emerging economies.