Germany's Top 2% Scientists 2021

Germany has 9,436 scientists on the 2021 single-year Top 2% list, up 15.4% from 8,177 in 2020. That places Germany 4th in the world by number of listed scientists. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München has the most listed scientists (193), followed by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (168).

Single Year

9,436

+1,259 (+15.4%) vs 2020

Career Data

9,986

+1,194 (+13.6%) vs 2020

World rank by count

No change vs 2020

Institutes

1,031

+127 (+14.0%) vs 2020

Scientists in Germany on the list, by year

The single-year count has grown 15% since 2020.

Single-year list, change on the previous year

2021+15.4%

2022+5.6%

2023+1.3%

2024+3.3%

2025+2.3%

Show the numbers

Year	Single Year	Change	Career Data	Change
2020	8,177		8,792
2021	9,436	+15.4%	9,986	+13.6%
2022	9,961	+5.6%	10,562	+5.8%
2023	10,088	+1.3%	10,990	+4.1%
2024	10,422	+3.3%	11,573	+5.3%
2025	10,666	+2.3%	12,166	+5.1%

Top 10 institutes in Germany

By number of listed scientists

Single-year list2021

Show the list

All 9,436 scientists

Single-year list2021

The first 100 are free to browse.

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Rank in Germany	World rank	Scientist	Institute	Sub-field	Rank in sub-field
1	9	GS Grimme, Stefan	Universität Bonn	Chemical Physics	Rank 1
2	53	SG Sheldrick, George M.	Georg-August-Universität Göttingen	Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry	Rank 1
3	64	NF Neese, Frank	Max Planck Institute for Coal Research	Chemical Physics	Rank 3
4	85	SA Stamatakis, Alexandros	Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS GmbH)	Bioinformatics	Rank 3
5	190	BP Blöchl, Peter E.	Technische Universität Clausthal	Applied Physics	Rank 7
6	208	SH Sies, Helmut	Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 5
7	233	RD Raabe, Dierk	Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH	Materials	Rank 4
8	304	KY Kuzyakov, Yakov	Georg-August-Universität Göttingen	Agronomy & Agriculture	Rank 3
9	306	AL Ackermann, Lutz	Georg-August-Universität Göttingen	Organic Chemistry	Rank 2
10	315	SV Springel, Volker	Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics	Astronomy & Astrophysics	Rank 1
11	316	RM Rillig, Matthias C.	Freie Universität Berlin	Agronomy & Agriculture	Rank 4
12	360	MM Mann, Matthias	Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry	Developmental Biology	Rank 14
13	403	NM Neurath, Markus F.	Universitätsklinikum Erlangen	Gastroenterology & Hepatology	Rank 6
14	438	LR Ley, Ruth E.	Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology	Microbiology	Rank 4
15	463	BH Brenner, Hermann	German Cancer Research Center	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 19
16	466	WM Winkler, Michael	Universität Paderborn	General Mathematics	Rank 1
17	479	PM Pfaffl, Michael W.	Wissenschaftszentrum Weihenstephan für Ernährung, Landnutzung und Umwelt	Dairy & Animal Science	Rank 1
18	488	PM Pinquart, Martin	Philipps-Universität Marburg	Developmental & Child Psychology	Rank 9
19	503	van der Aalst, Wil M.P.	Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 26
20	507	SR Schlögl, Robert	Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society	Physical Chemistry	Rank 4
21	525	MJ Maier, Joachim	Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research	Energy	Rank 14
22	588	SB Schölkopf, Bernhard	Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 31
23	613	WF Weigend, Florian	Philipps-Universität Marburg	Chemical Physics	Rank 13
24	637	MF Menter, Florian	ANSYS, Inc.	Aerospace & Aeronautics	Rank 1
25	648	BM Blüher, Matthias	Universität Leipzig	Endocrinology & Metabolism	Rank 11
26	657	BP Bork, Peer	European Molecular Biology Laboratory Heidelberg	Developmental Biology	Rank 25
27	725	AM Antonietti, Markus	Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces	Nanoscience & Nanotechnology	Rank 27
28	742	HS Hell, Stefan W.	Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry	Optics	Rank 5
29	832	ID Ivanov, Dmitry	Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin	Operations Research	Rank 6
30	842	MP Murray, Peter J.	Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry	Immunology	Rank 32
31	864	DI Dikic, Ivan	Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main	Developmental Biology	Rank 34
32	866	SS Sonnentag, Sabine	Universität Mannheim	Business & Management	Rank 22
33	870	SP Strasser, Peter	Technical University of Berlin	Energy	Rank 23
34	877	KW Kabsch, Wolfgang	Max Planck Institute for Medical Research	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 18
35	897	KK Kümmerer, Klaus	Leuphana Universität Lüneburg	Environmental Sciences	Rank 8
36	913	WF Würthner, Frank	Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg	Organic Chemistry	Rank 7
37	915	CP Crutzen, P. J.	Max Planck Institute for Chemistry	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	Rank 8
38	954	HA Hashmi, A. Stephen K.	Universität Heidelberg	Organic Chemistry	Rank 9
39	957	PH Pörtner, Hans Otto	Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung	Physiology	Rank 1
40	977	SG Schett, Georg	Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg	Arthritis & Rheumatology	Rank 5
41	982	SB Scrosati, Bruno	Helmholtz Institute Ulm	Energy	Rank 26
42	1,050	RJ Rockström, Johan	Potsdam Institut fur Klimafolgenforschung	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	Rank 10
43	1,053	AM Andreae, Meinrat O.	Max Planck Institute for Chemistry	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	Rank 11
44	1,096	BH Braak, Heiko	Universität Ulm	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 76
45	1,115	FS Fulda, Simone	Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 33
46	1,119	SA Stukowski, Alexander	Technische Universität Darmstadt	Materials	Rank 26
47	1,124	WH Wittchen, Hans Ulrich	Technische Universität Dresden	Psychiatry	Rank 24
48	1,136	WM Winter, Martin	Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster	Energy	Rank 28
49	1,149	FP Fries, Pascal	Ernst Strüngmann Institut gGmbH	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 78
50	1,174	SA Stang, Andreas	Universitätsklinikum Essen	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 29
51	1,219	FA Friederici, Angela D.	Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 82
52	1,252	FA Fürstner, Alois	Max Planck Institute for Coal Research	Organic Chemistry	Rank 18
53	1,269	GG Gigerenzer, Gerd	Max Planck Institute for Human Development	Experimental Psychology	Rank 20
54	1,287	RM Reck, Martin	German Center for Lung Research	Oncology & Carcinogenesis	Rank 39
55	1,325	TF Tacke, F.	Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin	Gastroenterology & Hepatology	Rank 12
56	1,339	BJ Behler, Jörg	Georg-August-Universität Göttingen	Chemical Physics	Rank 28
57	1,342	SD Svergun, Dmitri I.	European Molecular Biology Laboratory Hamburg	Biochemistry & Molecular Biology	Rank 33
58	1,355	SM Sarstedt, Marko	Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg	Marketing	Rank 5
59	1,358	LE Latz, Eicke	Universitäts-Klinikum Bonn und Medizinische Fakultät	Immunology	Rank 39
60	1,381	KA Klamt, Andreas	Dassault Systemes	Chemical Physics	Rank 30
61	1,457	HG Heusch, Gerd	Universitätsklinikum Essen	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 38
62	1,467	MK Müllen, Klaus	Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research	Organic Chemistry	Rank 23
63	1,472	GZ Ghahramani, Zoubin	Google LLC	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 68
64	1,495	BM Beller, Matthias	Leibniz Institute for Catalysis	Organic Chemistry	Rank 24
65	1,545	TT Tscharntke, Teja	Georg-August-Universität Göttingen	Ecology	Rank 47
66	1,550	TA Thomas, Arne	Technical University of Berlin	Organic Chemistry	Rank 25
67	1,559	BA Boccaccini, Aldo R.	Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg	Materials	Rank 34
68	1,589	SS Seuring, Stefan	Universität Kassel	Business & Management	Rank 39
69	1,602	FP Fratzl, Peter	Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces	Materials	Rank 36
70	1,622	SM Saliba, Michael	Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ)	Nanoscience & Nanotechnology	Rank 58
71	1,624	ET Efferth, Thomas	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz	Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry	Rank 5
72	1,627	JC Janiak, Christoph	Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf	Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry	Rank 8
73	1,637	TT Ternes, Thomas	Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde	Environmental Sciences	Rank 16
74	1,653	DC Dormann, Carsten F.	Universität Freiburg im Breisgau	Ecology	Rank 50
75	1,712	PU Pöschl, Ulrich	Max Planck Institute for Chemistry	Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences	Rank 19
76	1,732	PS Parkin, S. S.P.	Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics	Applied Physics	Rank 50
77	1,771	SM Sitti, Metin	Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems	Industrial Engineering & Automation	Rank 13
78	1,786	SA Studer, Armido	Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster	Organic Chemistry	Rank 27
79	1,799	HA Hofmann, Albrecht W.	Max Planck Institute for Chemistry	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 21
80	1,808	LW Löscher, Wolfgang	Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 114
81	1,829	BL Bornmann, Lutz	Administrative Headquarters of the Max Planck Society	Information & Library Sciences	Rank 4
82	1,875	KI Kögel-Knabner, Ingrid	Institute for Advanced Study of Technical University of Munich	Agronomy & Agriculture	Rank 10
83	1,893	LH Lichtenthaler, H. K.	Karlsruhe Institute of Technology	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 13
84	1,907	BI Bloch, Immanuel	Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München	General Physics	Rank 12
85	1,928	CR Conrad, Ralf	Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology	Microbiology	Rank 34
86	1,955	HF Hartl, F. Ulrich	Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry	Developmental Biology	Rank 80
87	2,001	WM Wink, Michael	Universität Heidelberg	Plant Biology & Botany	Rank 15
88	2,038	BC Brabec, Christoph J.	Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg	Applied Physics	Rank 64
89	2,062	BH Baumgartner, Helmut	Universitätsklinikum Münster	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 61
90	2,077	TM Thommes, Matthias	Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg	Chemical Physics	Rank 46
91	2,088	ZU Ziemann, Ulf	Hertie-Institut für klinische Hirnforschung	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 128
92	2,103	CJ Chase, Jonathan M.	Martin-Universität Halle-Wittenberg	Ecology	Rank 67
93	2,139	FU Fischbacher, Urs	Universität Konstanz	Economics	Rank 44
94	2,161	FX Feng, Xinliang	Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden	Nanoscience & Nanotechnology	Rank 71
95	2,178	WO Wolfbeis, Otto S.	Universität Regensburg	Analytical Chemistry	Rank 10
96	2,202	NM Nauck, Michael A.	St. Josef-Hospital im Katholischen Klinikum Bochum	Endocrinology & Metabolism	Rank 35
97	2,225	PB Persson, B. N.J.	Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ)	Chemical Physics	Rank 49
98	2,228	PW Paulus, Walter	Universitätsmedizin Göttingen	Neurology & Neurosurgery	Rank 136
99	2,282	PC Pahl-Wostl, Claudia	Universität Osnabrück	Ecology	Rank 80
100	2,288	WH Werner, Hans Joachim	Universität Stuttgart	Chemical Physics	Rank 52
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Countries with a similar count

Single-year list2021

United States66,247 scientistsin 2021

China16,611 scientistsin 2021

United Kingdom15,844 scientistsin 2021

Canada7,479 scientistsin 2021

Australia7,138 scientistsin 2021

Italy6,126 scientistsin 2021

Explore other countries

Single-year list2021

France5,274 scientistsin 2021

Netherlands3,945 scientistsin 2021

Switzerland3,016 scientistsin 2021

Belgium1,780 scientistsin 2021

Austria1,219 scientistsin 2021

Luxembourg58 scientistsin 2021

All countries on the world map

Frequently asked questions

How many scientists from Germany are in the 2021 Stanford Top 2% list?

9,436 scientists affiliated with Germany are on the 2021 single-year list, and 9,986 are on the career-long list.

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

On the 2021 single-year list, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München has the most listed scientists from Germany, with 193. It is followed by Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg with 168.

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

On the single-year list, Germany went from 8,177 scientists in 2020 to 9,436 in 2021, a change of +15.4%.

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.