The increasing unaffordability of OA fees for Global South countries

The public budget for science funding is constantly under pressure around the globe. However, the scientific production remains very uneven, with clear consequences for how knowledge is produced and circulated. Here, we calculated the publication costs for countries, estimating how many can afford Article Processing Charges (APC) based on their public investment on science. Although the US has the greatest number of publications, China has the highest growth rate, and Japan the highest value invested per publication. Importantly, only 21 % of the countries can afford APCs. The difference in global investment in R&D and the unpractical fees charged by journals increase inequality in science, pushing poor countries to publish in lower-impact and predatory journals.