Ecuador's Top 2% Scientists 2026
Ecuador has 44 scientists on the 2026 single-year Top 2% list, up 46.7% from 30 in 2025. That places Ecuador 83rd in the world by number of listed scientists, up 5 places. Universidad Espíritu Santo has the most listed scientists (6), followed by Universidad Internacional del Ecuador (6).
Scientists in Ecuador on the list, by year
The single-year count has more than tripled since 2020.
Show the numbers
| Year | Single Year | Change | Career Data | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 14 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | 19 | +35.7% | 13 | +85.7% |
| 2022 | 17 | -10.5% | 14 | +7.7% |
| 2023 | 21 | +23.5% | 16 | +14.3% |
| 2024 | 25 | +19.0% | 21 | +31.2% |
| 2025 | 30 | +20.0% | 24 | +14.3% |
| 2026 | 44 | +46.7% | 30 | +25.0% |
Top 10 institutes in Ecuador
By number of listed scientists
Show the list
- 1Universidad Espíritu Santo6
- 2Universidad Internacional del Ecuador6
- 3Universidad San Francisco de Quito6
- 4Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador5
- 5Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador3
- 6Universidad UTE3
- 7Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE2
- 8Universidad ECOTEC2
- 9Center for Creative Studies1
- 10Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral Ecuador1
All 44 scientists
Showing the 2026 single-year list. Looking for career rankings? See the career-long list
| Rank in Ecuador | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 794 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Rank 11 | |
| 2 | 5,831 |
JL
|
Fundación EcoMinga | Evolutionary Biology | Rank 42 |
| 3 | 8,284 | Universidad ECOTEC | Toxicology | Rank 28 | |
| 4 | 23,475 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Food Science | Rank 259 | |
| 5 | 24,070 | Universidad UTE | Energy | Rank 658 | |
| 6 | 24,441 | Universidad Nacional de Loja | Environmental Sciences | Rank 545 | |
| 7 | 27,279 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 953 | |
| 8 | 29,317 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Neurology & Neurosurgery | Rank 1,332 | |
| 9 | 30,203 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Sport Sciences | Rank 150 | |
| 10 | 30,780 |
LR
|
Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 487 |
| 11 | 32,287 | Universidad ECOTEC | Nuclear & Particle Physics | Rank 422 | |
| 12 | 38,669 | Universidad UTE | Civil Engineering | Rank 182 | |
| 13 | 44,377 | Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE | Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry | Rank 123 | |
| 14 | 48,475 | Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 2,279 | |
| 15 | 66,665 | University of Cuenca | Energy | Rank 1,975 | |
| 16 | 70,389 | Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,001 | |
| 17 | 73,813 | Universidad Técnica de Manabí | Environmental Sciences | Rank 1,670 | |
| 18 | 75,108 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Environmental Sciences | Rank 1,695 | |
| 19 | 80,034 | Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador | Microbiology | Rank 1,504 | |
| 20 | 83,595 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Civil Engineering | Rank 429 | |
| 21 | 98,105 | Fundación de Conservación Jocotoco | Ecology | Rank 1,845 | |
| 22 | 105,118 | Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,411 | |
| 23 | 124,432 | Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,689 | |
| 24 | 147,548 | Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Ecuador | Education | Rank 2,027 | |
| 25 | 191,137 | Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | Tropical Medicine | Rank 249 | |
| 26 | 209,918 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Zoology | Rank 68 | |
| 27 | 211,189 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Allergy | Rank 366 | |
| 28 | 212,567 |
SA
|
Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral Ecuador | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 9,511 |
| 29 | 223,489 | Universidad Espíritu Santo | Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine | Rank 1,243 | |
| 30 | 225,675 | Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 10,074 | |
| 31 | 226,124 | Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador | Applied Mathematics | Rank 553 | |
| 32 | 263,317 | Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador | Zoology | Rank 91 | |
| 33 | 288,269 | Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador | Zoology | Rank 105 | |
| 34 | 294,187 | Universidad de las Fuerzas Armadas ESPE | Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry | Rank 1,161 | |
| 35 | 307,157 |
GJ
|
Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador | Networking & Telecommunications | Rank 3,868 |
| 36 | 316,498 | Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 3,798 | |
| 37 | 380,455 | Universidad de las Americas - Ecuador | Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Rank 1,823 | |
| 38 | 505,043 | Universidad Internacional SEK Ecuador | Tropical Medicine | Rank 756 | |
| 39 | 507,626 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Veterinary Sciences | Rank 1,155 | |
| 40 | 543,028 | Universidad UTE | Legal & Forensic Medicine | Rank 214 | |
| 41 | 615,319 | Universidad Internacional del Ecuador | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 6,845 | |
| 42 | 668,153 | Universidad San Francisco de Quito | Zoology | Rank 386 | |
| 43 | 714,548 | Center for Creative Studies | Ornithology | Rank 90 | |
| 44 | 981,693 | Fundación Jambatu | Zoology | Rank 661 | |
| No scientists match this filter on the single-year list. Try the career-long list | |||||
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Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Ecuador are in the 2026 Stanford Top 2% list?
44 scientists affiliated with Ecuador are on the 2026 single-year list, and 30 are on the career-long list.
Which institute in Ecuador has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2026 single-year list, Universidad Espíritu Santo has the most listed scientists from Ecuador, with 6. It is followed by Universidad Internacional del Ecuador with 6.
How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Ecuador changed since 2020?
On the single-year list, Ecuador went from 14 scientists in 2020 to 44 in 2026, a change of +214.3%.
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.