Iceland's Top 2% Scientists 2024
Iceland has 59 scientists on the 2024 single-year Top 2% list, up 3.5% from 57 in 2023. That places Iceland 74th in the world by number of listed scientists, down 2 places. Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists (41), followed by Reykjavík University (7).
Scientists in Iceland on the list, by year
The single-year count has grown 40% 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 59 scientists
| Rank in Iceland | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4,029 | Haskoli Islands | Gastroenterology & Hepatology | Rank 55 | |
| 2 | 5,241 | Haskoli Islands | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 23 | |
| 3 | 8,254 | Haskoli Islands | Geological & Geomatics Engineering | Rank 73 | |
| 4 | 8,511 | Haskoli Islands | Fisheries | Rank 11 | |
| 5 | 9,823 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 124 | |
| 6 | 19,937 | Reykjavík University | Networking & Telecommunications | Rank 190 | |
| 7 | 26,641 |
DE
|
Reykjavík University | Finance | Rank 122 |
| 8 | 37,283 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 938 | |
| 9 | 39,700 | Icelandic Heart Association | Developmental Biology | Rank 991 | |
| 10 | 40,654 | Haskoli Islands | Ophthalmology & Optometry | Rank 187 | |
| 11 | 43,431 | Haskoli Islands | Dentistry | Rank 183 | |
| 12 | 43,448 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 631 | |
| 13 | 44,713 | Reykjavík University | Business & Management | Rank 1,110 | |
| 14 | 44,968 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 651 | |
| 15 | 45,938 | Haskoli Islands | Immunology | Rank 933 | |
| 16 | 46,829 | Haskoli Islands | Physical Chemistry | Rank 193 | |
| 17 | 47,430 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 693 | |
| 18 | 51,982 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,284 | |
| 19 | 57,074 | Reykjavík University | Public Health | Rank 585 | |
| 20 | 57,683 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,402 | |
| 21 | 61,677 |
WB
|
Haskoli Islands | Chemical Engineering | Rank 451 |
| 22 | 65,338 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,560 | |
| 23 | 68,011 | Haskoli Islands | Evolutionary Biology | Rank 431 | |
| 24 | 68,290 | Haskoli Islands | Fisheries | Rank 114 | |
| 25 | 68,459 | Haskoli Islands | Education | Rank 822 | |
| 26 | 70,390 |
YS
|
Reykjavík University | Psychiatry | Rank 1,171 |
| 27 | 72,955 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 1,733 | |
| 28 | 74,618 | Haskoli Islands | Chemical Physics | Rank 953 | |
| 29 | 89,230 | Haskoli Islands | Strategic, Defence & Security Studies | Rank 149 | |
| 30 | 97,362 | EpiEndo Pharmaceuticals | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 611 | |
| 31 | 102,181 | Reykjavík University | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,278 | |
| 32 | 103,303 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 1,483 | |
| 33 | 113,118 | Haskoli Islands | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 1,625 | |
| 34 | 116,693 | deCODE genetics | Developmental Biology | Rank 2,710 | |
| 35 | 118,668 | Haskoli Islands | Food Science | Rank 1,338 | |
| 36 | 119,149 |
MM
|
Haskoli Islands | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 800 |
| 37 | 128,462 | Haskoli Islands | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 873 | |
| 38 | 136,592 |
LG
|
Haskoli Islands | Archaeology | Rank 128 |
| 39 | 137,127 | Haskoli Islands | Experimental Psychology | Rank 1,469 | |
| 40 | 143,204 | Haskoli Islands | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 3,420 | |
| 41 | 146,782 |
VP
|
The Krafla | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,780 |
| 42 | 147,259 | Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland | Respiratory System | Rank 963 | |
| 43 | 148,528 | Haskoli Islands | Dermatology & Venereal Diseases | Rank 517 | |
| 44 | 159,100 | Haskoli Islands | Energy | Rank 4,554 | |
| 45 | 164,805 | Haskoli Islands | Nutrition & Dietetics | Rank 1,078 | |
| 46 | 165,081 | Haskoli Islands | Energy | Rank 4,733 | |
| 47 | 166,479 | Haskoli Islands | Logistics & Transportation | Rank 557 | |
| 48 | 175,753 | Haskoli Islands | Respiratory System | Rank 1,143 | |
| 49 | 179,952 | Haskoli Islands | Respiratory System | Rank 1,162 | |
| 50 | 187,947 | Haskoli Islands | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 6,901 | |
| 51 | 193,700 | Haskoli Islands | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 6,420 | |
| 52 | 193,816 | Haskoli Islands | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 4,414 | |
| 53 | 200,130 | Reykjavík University | Computation Theory & Mathematics | Rank 342 | |
| 54 | 205,175 | Haskoli Islands | Applied Physics | Rank 4,117 | |
| 55 | 290,890 | Haskoli Islands | Fisheries | Rank 734 | |
| 56 | 342,769 | Haskoli Islands | Music | Rank 18 | |
| 57 | 348,761 | Haskoli Islands | Folklore | Rank 2 | |
| 58 | 363,087 | Háskólinn á Akureyri | Nursing | Rank 1,222 | |
| 59 | 426,399 | Haskoli Islands | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 8,946 | |
| No scientists match this filter. | |||||
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Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Iceland are in the 2024 Stanford Top 2% list?
59 scientists affiliated with Iceland are on the 2024 single-year list, and 63 are on the career-long list.
Which institute in Iceland has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2024 single-year list, Haskoli Islands has the most listed scientists from Iceland, with 41. It is followed by Reykjavík 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 59 in 2024, a change of +40.5%.
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.