China had the third-highest number of think tanks in the world, according to a report on global think tank released on Thursday.

With 507 think tanks, China ranked third in the list of countries with the highest number of think tanks, the 2018 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report said.

The United States and India took the top and second spots on the list with 1,871 and 509 think tanks, respectively, the report by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program said.

A total of 8,162 think tanks catalogued in the TTCSP's Global Think Tank Database participated in the nomination and ranking process, with 2,219 from Central Europe and 1,972 from North America.

The think tank establishment rate fell in the US and Europe during the past 12 years, although the global list is still dominated by Europe and the US, the report said.

Emerging powers in Asia grew steadily and the number of think tank in this area rose to 1,829, accounting for 22.4 percent of the world's total.