Estonia's Top 2% Scientists 2025: Career-Long List

Estonia has 85 scientists on the 2025 career-long Top 2% list, up 21.4% from 70 in 2024. That places Estonia 61st in the world by number of listed scientists, down 1 place. Tartu Ülikool has the most listed scientists (25), followed by Tallinna Tehnikaülikool (16).

Single Year

108

+25 (+30.1%) vs 2024

Career Data

+15 (+21.4%) vs 2024

World rank by count

#61

down 1 place vs 2024

Institutes

+13 (+130.0%) vs 2024

Scientists in Estonia on the list, by year

The career-long count has more than doubled since 2020.

Career-long list, change on the previous year

2021+23.8%

2022+7.7%

2023+19.6%

2024+4.5%

2025+21.4%

Show the numbers

Year	Single Year	Change	Career Data	Change
2020	58		42
2021	63	+8.6%	52	+23.8%
2022	80	+27.0%	56	+7.7%
2023	77	-3.8%	67	+19.6%
2024	83	+7.8%	70	+4.5%
2025	108	+30.1%	85	+21.4%

Top 10 institutes in Estonia

By number of listed scientists

Career-long list2025

Show the list

All 85 scientists

Career-long list2025

Everyone on the list, free to browse.

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Rank in Estonia	World rank	Scientist	Institute	Sub-field	Rank in sub-field
1	1,433	NÜ Niinemets, Ülo	Eesti Maaülikool	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 7
2	12,808	ZM Zobel, Martin	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Ecology	Rank 242
3	17,161	RM Raidal, Martti	Keemilise ja Bioloogilise Füüsika Instituut	Nuclear & Particle Physics	Rank 230
4	27,424	FA Forbes, Alastair	Tartu Ülikool	Gastroenterology & Hepatology	Rank 417
5	27,702	TL Tedersoo, Leho	Tartu Ülikool	Microbiology	Rank 698
6	33,221	LÜ Langel, Ülo L.	Tartu Ülikool	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 2,396
7	33,527	KT Koivisto, Tomi K.	National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Tallinn	Nuclear & Particle Physics	Rank 485
8	34,783	BR Bhat, Rajeev	Eesti Maaülikool	Food Science	Rank 150
9	39,176	PM Pärtel, Meelis	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Ecology	Rank 698
10	40,520	AJ Allik, Jüri	Tartu Ülikool	Social Psychology	Rank 415
11	46,205	SS Sugita, Shinya	Tallinna Ülikool	Paleontology	Rank 143
12	47,875	DM Dumas, Marlon	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 1,025
13	56,365	TR Taagepera, Rein	Tartu Ülikool	Political Science & Public Administration	Rank 229
14	63,255	KT Kutser, Tiit	Tartu Ülikool	Geological & Geomatics Engineering	Rank 296
15	65,824	HJ Harro, Jaanus E.	Tartu Ülikooli Keemia Instituut	Psychiatry	Rank 1,242
16	73,235	PK Prashanth, K. G.	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Materials	Rank 993
17	73,900	KL Koskela, Lauri Jaakko	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Building & Construction	Rank 191
18	75,567	SA Samoson, Ago	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Chemical Physics	Rank 1,456
19	85,716	WI Williams, Ingrid Helvi	Eesti Maaülikool	Entomology	Rank 220
20	95,811	MÜ Mander, Ülo	Tartu Ülikool	Environmental Engineering	Rank 444
21	99,125	KK Kannike, Kristjan	National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Tallinn	Nuclear & Particle Physics	Rank 1,524
22	103,045	Sak, Katrin	NGO Praeventio	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 3,988
23	107,372	KM Karelson, Mati M.	Tartu Ülikool	Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry	Rank 364
24	107,643	MA Metspalu, Andres H.	Tartu Ülikooli Genoomika Instituut	Developmental Biology	Rank 3,024
25	110,320	KA Kahru, Anne	National Institute of Chemical Physics and Biophysics, Tallinn	Environmental Sciences	Rank 830
26	110,586	KU Kõljalg, Urmas	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Mycology & Parasitology	Rank 234
27	114,509	KA Kuusk, Andres	Tartu Ülikool	Geological & Geomatics Engineering	Rank 579
28	114,564	CN Carpentier, Nico	Tallinna Ülikool	Communication & Media Studies	Rank 208
29	117,492	JJ Jürimäe, Jaak	Tartu Ülikool	Sport Sciences	Rank 385
30	118,662	WF Wen, Fushuan	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool, Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics	Energy	Rank 1,696
31	122,412	KK Kull, Kalevi	Tartu Ülikool	Languages & Linguistics	Rank 286
32	126,765	SS Sakr, Sherif	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 2,660
33	126,807	SJ Stanturf, J. A.	Eesti Maaülikool	Forestry	Rank 147
34	127,172	GI Goodson, Ivor Frederick	Tallinna Ülikool	Education	Rank 837
35	140,994	HI Hussainova, Irina V.	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Materials	Rank 1,984
36	142,589	LH Lipmaa, Helger	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 3,005
37	149,270	TM Trapido, Marina	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Environmental Engineering	Rank 765
38	152,617	ST Soomere, Tarmo E.	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Oceanography	Rank 304
39	152,704	UD Unruh, Dominique	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 3,241
40	154,472	KM Koel, Mihkel	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 1,188
41	161,093	Vinn, Olev	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Paleontology	Rank 735
42	162,699	LA Laisk, Agu	Tartu Ülikooli Tehnoloogiainstituut	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 2,383
43	167,363	LÜ Lepik, Ülo	Tartu Ülikool	Mechanical Engineering & Transports	Rank 1,228
44	168,207	KI Koppel, Ilmar A.	Tartu Ülikool	Organic Chemistry	Rank 2,831
45	182,870	KJ Kurnitski, Jarek	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Building & Construction	Rank 529
46	184,414	OH Ojaveer, Henn	Tartu Ülikooli Pärnu Kolledž	Fisheries	Rank 510
47	186,352	KO Kull, Olevi	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 2,759
48	192,778	HM Hohmann, Manuel	Tartu Ülikooli Füüsika Instituut	Nuclear & Particle Physics	Rank 2,994
49	196,724	FA Fazeli, Alireza R.	Eesti Maaülikool	Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine	Rank 1,869
50	197,882	SA Sellin, Arne	Ökoloogia ja Maateaduste Instituut	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 2,938
51	199,524	TK Tammeveski, Kaido	Tartu Ülikooli Keemia Instituut	Energy	Rank 3,049
52	200,617	KT Kalamees, Targo	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Building & Construction	Rank 595
53	206,604	GJ Galbally, Javier	European Union Agency eu-LISA	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 4,493
54	207,101	VG Vainikko, Gennadi M.	Tartu Ülikooli matemaatika ja statistika instituut	General Mathematics	Rank 1,394
55	208,896	LE Lust, Enn I.	Tartu Ülikooli Keemia Instituut	Energy	Rank 3,207
56	211,058	LI Leito, Ivo	Tartu Ülikooli Keemia Instituut	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 1,721
57	217,208	AG Anbarjafari, Gholamreza	3S Holding OÜ	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 4,738
58	222,979	KK Kukli, Kaupo	Tartu Ülikooli Füüsika Instituut	Applied Physics	Rank 6,035
59	225,493	BA Belahcen, Anouar	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	Rank 720
60	232,207	BV Borovkov, Victor V.	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Organic Chemistry	Rank 3,926
61	236,204	KE Kikas, Eve	Tallinna Ülikool	Education	Rank 1,857
62	247,242	ÖM Öpik, Maarja	Tartu Ülikool	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 3,740
63	248,080	SP Saari, Peeter M.	Academia Scientiarum Estoniae	Optics	Rank 1,007
64	254,225	RA Rebane, Aleksander K.	KEEMILISE JA BIOLOOGILISE FUUSIKA INSTITUUT	Optoelectronics & Photonics	Rank 940
65	256,147	NT Nilson, Tiit	Tartu Ülikool	Geological & Geomatics Engineering	Rank 1,316
66	258,492	IR Ionescu, Radu Cornel	Eesti Maaülikool	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 2,184
67	264,056	IA Ivask, Angela	Tartu Ülikool	Environmental Sciences	Rank 2,409
68	266,113	TS Tomasiello, Stefania	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 5,926
69	317,704	VR Vaarandi, Risto	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 7,233
70	319,883	AR Accorsi, Rafael	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 7,280
71	326,332	KM Kaljurand, Mihkel	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 2,887
72	327,301	KR Küngas, Rainer	OU STARGATE HYDROGEN SOLUTIONS	Energy	Rank 5,551
73	363,392	VD Vinnikov, Dmitri	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	Rank 1,285
74	394,534	LP Laud, Peeter	Cybernetica AS	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 9,265
75	398,114	EJ Engelbrecht, Jüri K.	Academia Scientiarum Estoniae	Mechanical Engineering & Transports	Rank 3,119
76	426,924	DD Draheim, Dirk	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 10,119
77	440,938	GA García-Sosa, Alfonso T.	Tartu Ülikool	Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry	Rank 2,299
78	441,845	MR Matulevičius, Raimundas	Tartu Ülikool	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 10,517
79	458,017	JA Jänes, Alar A.J.	Tartu Ülikooli Keemia Instituut	Energy	Rank 8,344
80	461,870	TM Tamm, Marek	Tallinna Ülikool	History	Rank 334
81	557,732	LM Lember, Margus	Tartu Ülikool	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 7,686
82	598,867	AA Aabloo, Alvo	Tartu Ülikooli Tehnoloogiainstituut	Optoelectronics & Photonics	Rank 2,785
83	615,458	PA Pietarinen, A.	Majandusteaduskond	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 15,239
84	816,375	HO Husev, Oleksandr O.	Tallinna Tehnikaülikool	Electrical & Electronic Engineering	Rank 3,491
85	911,459	KM Krivý, Maroš	Estonian Academy of Arts	Architecture	Rank 34
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Showing 1 to 85 of 85 Show

Countries with a similar count

Career-long list2025

Vietnam94 scientists

Lebanon92 scientists

Bulgaria91 scientists

Iraq79 scientists

Kuwait79 scientists

Colombia78 scientists

Explore other countries

Career-long list2025

United Kingdom20,571 scientists

Sweden3,471 scientists

Denmark2,207 scientists

Finland1,532 scientists

Norway1,493 scientists

Ireland881 scientists

All countries on the world map

Frequently asked questions

How many scientists from Estonia are in the 2025 Stanford Top 2% list?

108 scientists affiliated with Estonia are on the 2025 single-year list, and 85 are on the career-long list.

Which institute in Estonia has the most Top 2% scientists?

On the 2025 career-long list, Tartu Ülikool has the most listed scientists from Estonia, with 25. It is followed by Tallinna Tehnikaülikool with 16.

How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Estonia changed since 2020?

On the career-long list, Estonia went from 42 scientists in 2020 to 85 in 2025, a change of +102.4%.

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.