Open Access: Insights on disciplinary and global growth

As open access (OA) matures, growth patterns are evolving, reflecting the diversity of the global research community and the changing priorities of authors, institutions, and societies. Elsevier's recent market data reveals some key insights into where OA is growing - and why.

1. Life sciences and medicine favor open access

Disciplines with high public visibility, such as medicine, environmental sciences, and life sciences, remain at the forefront of OA growth. These fields have historically led the move to OA, driven by strong funder mandates, societal impact, and a fragmented journal landscape. Our recent data shows that OA uptake in these areas continues to rise. For example, in medicine, OA uptake reached an average of 43% in 2023, up from 37% in 2020.

Laura Hassink, Managing Director for Journals at Elsevier, also highlighted that funding mandates in these areas may also have an impact: “There’s a range of factors, but the number one for authors is the scope and quality of the journal. Then there are often requirements from funders on how to publish, so the author might be required to publish in an open access journal.”

Elsevier supports this shift by offering more than 890 fully OA journals and OA options in nearly all 3,000 journals, ensuring that researchers can meet funder requirements without compromising quality or integrity.

Open Access Uptake by Discipline (2020–2023)

Source: Elsevier Market Analysis, 2025

2. Physical sciences and engineering: China and India set the pace in both open access and subscription

While OA is expanding in all fields, physical sciences, engineering, and related disciplines show a distinct pattern. In these areas, OA uptake is increasing, but subscription publishing also remains robust, particularly in regions like China and India. Elsevier’s market analysis shows that China’s OA article output grew by 16.5% from 2019 to 2024, with engineering alone seeing 28,000 OA articles from China in 2024. Physics, materials science, chemistry, and biochemistry each exceeded 10,000 OA articles from China in the same year. India also showed strong growth in medicine and multidisciplinary OA output.

This reflects a pragmatic approach to publishing, with many researchers in these regions focusing on journals with the highest impact, regardless of business model. As a result, physical sciences and engineering continue to see robust OA growth, highlighting the importance of flexible publishing models to meet diverse needs.

Engineering, physics, materials science, and chemistry are among the fastest-growing areas for Chinese researchers, with India also showing strong growth in medicine and multidisciplinary fields.

This reflects a pragmatic approach to publishing, with many researchers in these regions focusing on journals with the highest impact, regardless of publishing models. As a result, physical sciences and engineering continue to see growth in both OA and subscription publishing, highlighting the importance of flexible publishing models to meet diverse needs.

China’s OA Article Growth by Discipline (2024)

Source: Elsevier Market Analysis, 2025

3. The Global South: Fastest OA growth, new challenges.

The Global South is emerging as a significant driver of OA growth, with multidisciplinary research and medicine leading the way. For example, India increased its OA output in medicine by 6,000 articles in 2024, and the region’s multidisciplinary OA output grew by 7,600 articles.

To support equitable participation in OA, Elsevier has introduced initiatives like Geographical Pricing for Open Access. As Laura noted:

Supporting societies and providing insights

Scientific societies play a crucial role in the OA landscape. Many authors trust society brands, which has helped accelerate OA adoption in society journals. Scientific societies play a crucial role in the OA landscape. Many authors trust society brands, which has helped accelerate OA adoption in society journals.

Elsevier partners with around 730 societies, publishing approximately 1,100 journals together. By working closely with societies, Elsevier helps them navigate the evolving OA landscape, offering flexible publishing models and data-driven insights to support their missions and communities.

Looking Ahead

Open access is continuing to grow. The focus now is on expanding choice, supporting new regions and disciplines, and ensuring that quality and equity remain central to scholarly publishing.

As Laura explained: “Ultimately, our focus is on making sure that whatever preference researchers, institutions or funders have, we can find a solution that meets their needs.”