Afghanistan's Top 2% Scientists 2026
Afghanistan has 2 scientists on the 2026 single-year Top 2% list. That places Afghanistan 140th in the world by number of listed scientists. Kandahar University has the most listed scientists (1), followed by Kardan University (1).
Scientists in Afghanistan on the list, by year
The single-year count has fallen 50% since 2020.
Show the numbers
| Year | Single Year | Change | Career Data | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 2021 | 1 | -75.0% | 1 | -80.0% |
| 2022 | 2 | +100.0% | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1 | -50.0% | 1 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 1 | +0.0% | - | |
| 2026 | 2 | - |
Institutes in Afghanistan
By number of listed scientists
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All 2 scientists
Showing the 2026 single-year list. Looking for career rankings? See the 2023 career-long list
| Rank in Afghanistan | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 123,418 | Kardan University | Food Science | Rank 1,767 | |
| 2 | 453,750 | Kandahar University | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 5,201 | |
| No scientists match this filter on the single-year list. Try the career-long list | |||||
Countries with a similar count
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Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Afghanistan are in the 2026 Stanford Top 2% list?
2 scientists affiliated with Afghanistan are on the 2026 single-year list.
Which institute in Afghanistan has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2026 single-year list, Kandahar University has the most listed scientists from Afghanistan, with 1. It is followed by Kardan University with 1.
How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Afghanistan changed since 2020?
On the single-year list, Afghanistan went from 4 scientists in 2020 to 2 in 2026, a change of -50.0%.
What is the difference between the single-year and career-long lists?
The single-year list ranks scientists on the citations their work received in one year. The career-long list ranks them on citations across their whole career. Both lists are published every year, and a scientist can be on one, both or neither.
What is the official source of this data?
The rankings come from the science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators published by Ioannidis et al. in the Elsevier Data Repository, updated every year. TOPSCINET, an independent platform, organises that data by country, year, institute and field, so you can compare and explore it.