Iceland's Top 2% Scientists 2025

Iceland has 66 scientists on the 2025 single-year Top 2% list, up 11.9% from 59 in 2024. That places Iceland 75th in the world by number of listed scientists, down 1 place. Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists (27), followed by Reykjavík University (10).

Single Year

+7 (+11.9%) vs 2024

Career Data

+15 (+23.8%) vs 2024

World rank by count

#75

down 1 place vs 2024

Institutes

+6 (+75.0%) vs 2024

Scientists in Iceland on the list, by year

The single-year count has grown 57% since 2020.

Single-year list, change on the previous year

2021+21.4%

2022+0.0%

2023+11.8%

2024+3.5%

2025+11.9%

Show the numbers

Year	Single Year	Change	Career Data	Change
2020	42		43
2021	51	+21.4%	50	+16.3%
2022	51	+0.0%	55	+10.0%
2023	57	+11.8%	64	+16.4%
2024	59	+3.5%	63	-1.6%
2025	66	+11.9%	78	+23.8%

Top 10 institutes in Iceland

By number of listed scientists

Single-year list2025

Show the list

All 66 scientists

Single-year list2025

Everyone on the list, free to browse.

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Rank in Iceland	World rank	Scientist	Institute	Sub-field	Rank in sub-field
1	3,392	AI Akyìldìz, Ian Fuat	Haskoli Islands	Networking & Telecommunications	Rank 38
2	4,486	BE BjÖrnssÖn, Einar Stefán	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Gastroenterology & Hepatology	Rank 58
3	7,217	BJ Benediktsson, Jón Atli	Haskoli Islands	Geological & Geomatics Engineering	Rank 69
4	7,596	LT Loftsson, Thorsteinn	Haskoli Islands	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	Rank 36
5	8,995	CS Campana, Steven E.	Haskoli Islands	Fisheries	Rank 12
6	15,588	ST Sawik, Tadeusz J.	Reykjavík University	Operations Research	Rank 67
7	17,256	KS Kozieł, Sławomir Marcin	Reykjavík University	Networking & Telecommunications	Rank 181
8	29,523	SA Stefánsson, Andri	Haskoli Islands	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 448
9	29,920	DE Demir, Ender	Reykjavík University	Finance	Rank 139
10	32,298	JH Jónsson, Hannes	Haskoli Islands	Chemical Physics	Rank 442
11	32,848	WL Wang, Lulu	Reykjavík University	Networking & Telecommunications	Rank 345
12	38,621	DS Durst, Susanne	Reykjavík University	Business & Management	Rank 999
13	39,493	SE Skúlason, Egill	Raunvísindastofnun Háskólans	Physical Chemistry	Rank 145
14	43,571	KS Kristinsson, Sigurdur Yngvi	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Immunology	Rank 827
15	44,008	YS Young, Susan J.	Reykjavík University	Psychiatry	Rank 750
16	44,151	GS Gíslason, Sigurður Reynir	Haskoli Islands	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 654
17	46,461	GD Gudbjartsson, Daníel Fannar	Haskoli Islands	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,064
18	48,142	GV Gudnason, V. G.	Icelandic Heart Association	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,099
19	49,289	AS Arnórsson, Stefàn A.	Haskoli Islands	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 741
20	51,942	PB Pjetursson, Bjarni Elvar	Haskoli Islands	Dentistry	Rank 225
21	55,861	SE Stefánsson, Einar	Haskoli Islands	Ophthalmology & Optometry	Rank 248
22	56,309	SH Stéfansson, Hreinn	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,242
23	59,863	AI Agnarsson, Ingi	Haskoli Islands	Evolutionary Biology	Rank 337
24	64,928	SI Sigfúsdóttir, Inga Dóra	Reykjavík University	Public Health	Rank 645
25	67,362	TG Thorleifsson, Gudmar	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,478
26	73,365	WB Wu, Bing	Haskoli Islands	Chemical Engineering	Rank 589
27	74,850	SK Stefánsson, Kari	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,625
28	76,934	KÁ Kristjánsson, Árni Kjalar	Haskoli Islands	Experimental Psychology	Rank 887
29	78,257	SK Stefánsson, Kári	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 1,697
30	79,546	EJ Einarsdóttir, Jo´Hanna	Haskoli Islands	Education	Rank 1,011
31	85,626	GD Gautam, Dipendra	Haskoli Islands	Strategic, Defence & Security Studies	Rank 147
32	85,790	MM Másson, Már	School of Health Sciences	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	Rank 543
33	89,220	GS Gizurarson, Sveinbjörn	School of Health Sciences	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	Rank 568
34	95,704	TT Thordarson, Thor	Haskoli Islands	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 1,375
35	100,703	KH Kristinsson, Hördur G.	Haskoli Islands	Food Science	Rank 1,255
36	103,744	MB Magnadóttir, Bergljót	Haskoli Islands	Fisheries	Rank 200
37	104,281	SH Sigurdsson, Haraldur	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 1,494
38	113,180	VP Voosen, Paul	The Krafla	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 1,426
39	118,919	PM Parnham, Michael John	EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals	Pharmacology & Pharmacy	Rank 820
40	120,398	SP Sulem, Patrick	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 2,576
41	129,344	SR Sigurvinsdóttir, Rannveig S.	Reykjavík University	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 1,597
42	130,497	HJ Heinonen, Jukka Taneli	Haskoli Islands	Energy	Rank 4,100
43	150,105	LG Lucas, Gavin	Haskoli Islands	Archaeology	Rank 122
44	150,507	AT Aspelund, Thor	Haskoli Islands	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 3,380
45	156,301	AY Abghoui, Younes	Raunvísindastofnun Háskólans	Physical Chemistry	Rank 635
46	158,681	SB Sigurgeirsson, Bárdur	Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands	Dermatology & Venereal Diseases	Rank 555
47	159,413	HB Halldórsson, Bjarni V.	deCODE genetics	Developmental Biology	Rank 3,373
48	172,706	DB Davidsdottir, Brynhildur	Haskoli Islands	Energy	Rank 5,480
49	180,386	SS Snæbjörnsdottir, Sandra Ósk	Carbfix	Energy	Rank 5,750
50	182,382	HT Halldórsson, Thórhallur Ingi	Haskoli Islands	Nutrition & Dietetics	Rank 1,128
51	184,338	GG Gudmundsson, Gunnar B.	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Respiratory System	Rank 1,108
52	193,556	MT Magnusson, Thor	Haskoli Islands	Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing	Rank 8,022
53	207,377	SF Sigmundsson, Freysteinn	Nordic Volcanological Center	Geochemistry & Geophysics	Rank 2,797
54	211,483	GT Gíslason, Thórarinn	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Respiratory System	Rank 1,247
55	215,149	AD Arnar, Davíd Ǒ.	deCODE genetics	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 4,625
56	220,408	GT Gudbjartsson, Tómas	Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland	Respiratory System	Rank 1,303
57	222,494	HM Halldórsson, Magnús M.	Reykjavík University	Computation Theory & Mathematics	Rank 355
58	252,840	SI Shelykh, Ivan Andreevich	Raunvísindastofnun Háskólans	Applied Physics	Rank 4,979
59	257,928	SH Sveinsdóttir, Herdís	School of Health Sciences	Nursing	Rank 776
60	319,471	NJ Nelson, Jay A.	Hólar University	Fisheries	Rank 853
61	373,302	HS Halldórsdóttir, Sigrídur	Háskólinn á Akureyri	Nursing	Rank 1,299
62	377,717	SE Svavarsdottir, Erla Kolbrun	School of Health Sciences	Nursing	Rank 1,325
63	391,196	KG Kararigas, Georgios	Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands	Cardiovascular System & Hematology	Rank 7,909
64	505,479	HV Hafstein, Valdimar Tr	Haskoli Islands	Folklore	Rank 2
65	509,406	SI Sigfusdottir, Inga Dóra	Reykjavík University	General & Internal Medicine	Rank 5,611
66	549,827	JJ Johnston, Jamie	Haskoli Islands	Information & Library Sciences	Rank 427
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Countries with a similar count

Single-year list2025

Ghana70 scientists

Kenya69 scientists

Philippines69 scientists

Bulgaria63 scientists

Kazakhstan59 scientists

Sri Lanka53 scientists

Explore other countries

Single-year list2025

United Kingdom18,125 scientists

Sweden2,666 scientists

Denmark2,061 scientists

Norway1,333 scientists

Finland1,208 scientists

Ireland925 scientists

All countries on the world map

Frequently asked questions

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

66 scientists affiliated with Iceland are on the 2025 single-year list, and 78 are on the career-long list.

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

On the 2025 single-year list, Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists from Iceland, with 27. It is followed by Reykjavík University with 10.

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

On the single-year list, Iceland went from 42 scientists in 2020 to 66 in 2025, a change of +57.1%.

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.