Iceland's Top 2% Scientists 2021
Iceland has 51 scientists on the 2021 single-year Top 2% list, up 21.4% from 42 in 2020. That places Iceland 68th in the world by number of listed scientists, down 2 places. Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists (28), followed by Reykjavik University (7).
Scientists in Iceland on the list, by year
The single-year count has grown 21% since 2020.
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% |
Institutes in Iceland
By number of listed scientists
All 51 scientists
| Rank in Iceland | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4,579 | Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland | Gastroenterology & Hepatology | Rank 61 | |
| 2 | 5,431 | Haskoli Islands | Geological & Geomatics Engineering | Rank 47 | |
| 3 | 5,756 | Haskoli Islands | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 26 | |
| 4 | 6,838 | Haskoli Islands | Fisheries | Rank 7 | |
| 5 | 10,117 |
DD
|
Reykjavik University | Business & Management | Rank 246 |
| 6 | 22,909 | Haskoli Islands | Chemical Physics | Rank 426 | |
| 7 | 23,964 | Reykjavik University | Networking & Telecommunications | Rank 188 | |
| 8 | 25,019 | Haskoli Islands | Developmental Biology | Rank 810 | |
| 9 | 28,718 | Haskoli Islands | Ophthalmology & Optometry | Rank 117 | |
| 10 | 32,710 | Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands | Immunology | Rank 820 | |
| 11 | 35,338 | Haskoli Islands | Physical Chemistry | Rank 173 | |
| 12 | 37,097 | Nordic Volcanological Center | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 693 | |
| 13 | 38,217 | Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,183 | |
| 14 | 39,457 | Haskoli Islands | Dentistry | Rank 164 | |
| 15 | 49,378 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 931 | |
| 16 | 51,220 | Reykjavik University | Marketing | Rank 283 | |
| 17 | 51,735 | Haskoli Islands | Fisheries | Rank 102 | |
| 18 | 54,916 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,659 | |
| 19 | 57,831 | Reykjavik University | Public Health | Rank 621 | |
| 20 | 61,377 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,835 | |
| 21 | 63,654 | Haskoli Islands | Food Science | Rank 478 | |
| 22 | 65,350 |
YS
|
Reykjavik University | Psychiatry | Rank 1,139 |
| 23 | 75,689 | Haskoli Islands | Economics | Rank 938 | |
| 24 | 78,612 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 1,432 | |
| 25 | 80,906 | Haskoli Islands | Education | Rank 739 | |
| 26 | 84,552 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 1,518 | |
| 27 | 86,727 | Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Rank 1,646 | |
| 28 | 87,369 |
WB
|
Haskoli Islands | Chemical Engineering | Rank 601 |
| 29 | 98,456 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 1,757 | |
| 30 | 98,671 |
FD
|
Haskoli Islands | Nuclear & Particle Physics | Rank 1,251 |
| 31 | 103,764 |
ES
|
Haskoli Islands | Civil Engineering | Rank 386 |
| 32 | 108,047 | Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands | Dermatology & Venereal Diseases | Rank 423 | |
| 33 | 116,829 | Nordic Volcanological Center | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 2,070 | |
| 34 | 117,487 | Haskoli Islands | Neurology & Neurosurgery | Rank 5,906 | |
| 35 | 125,854 | Haskoli Islands | Strategic, Defence & Security Studies | Rank 233 | |
| 36 | 129,964 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 2,275 | |
| 37 | 142,352 | Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland | Respiratory System | Rank 1,054 | |
| 38 | 145,112 | Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland | Respiratory System | Rank 1,073 | |
| 39 | 152,613 | Icelandic Cancer Registry | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 5,485 | |
| 40 | 157,477 | Reykjavik University | Computation Theory & Mathematics | Rank 320 | |
| 41 | 176,916 |
LG
|
Haskoli Islands | Archaeology | Rank 196 |
| 42 | 190,531 | Haskoli Islands | Ophthalmology & Optometry | Rank 1,068 | |
| 43 | 194,215 |
MM
|
School of Health Sciences | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 1,501 |
| 44 | 203,330 | Haskoli Islands | Energy | Rank 4,845 | |
| 45 | 243,083 | Reykjavik University | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 2,392 | |
| 46 | 306,802 | Háskólinn á Akureyri | Nursing | Rank 1,103 | |
| 47 | 323,254 | School of Health Sciences | Nursing | Rank 1,179 | |
| 48 | 332,261 | Læknadeild Háskóla Íslands | Environmental & Occupational Health | Rank 301 | |
| 49 | 414,918 | Haskoli Islands | Nursing | Rank 1,556 | |
| 50 | 541,610 | Haskoli Islands | Folklore | Rank 5 | |
| 51 | 784,962 | Haskoli Islands | History | Rank 192 | |
| No scientists match this filter. | |||||
Countries with a similar count
Explore other countries
Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Iceland are in the 2021 Stanford Top 2% list?
51 scientists affiliated with Iceland are on the 2021 single-year list, and 50 are on the career-long list.
Which institute in Iceland has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2021 single-year list, Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists from Iceland, with 28. It is followed by Reykjavik University with 7.
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 51 in 2021, a change of +21.4%.
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.