Sri Lanka's Top 2% Scientists 2026: Career-Long List
Sri Lanka has 39 scientists on the 2026 career-long Top 2% list, up 18.2% from 33 in 2025. That places Sri Lanka 79th in the world by number of listed scientists, down 1 place. National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka has the most listed scientists (7), followed by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo (6).
Scientists in Sri Lanka on the list, by year
The career-long count has more than doubled since 2020.
Show the numbers
| Year | Single Year | Change | Career Data | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 15 | 15 | ||
| 2021 | 24 | +60.0% | 18 | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 32 | +33.3% | 21 | +16.7% |
| 2023 | 42 | +31.2% | 24 | +14.3% |
| 2024 | 43 | +2.4% | 25 | +4.2% |
| 2025 | 53 | +23.3% | 33 | +32.0% |
| 2026 | 68 | +28.3% | 39 | +18.2% |
Top 10 institutes in Sri Lanka
By number of listed scientists
Show the list
- 1National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka7
- 2International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo6
- 3University of Colombo3
- 4University of Kelaniya3
- 5University of Peradeniya3
- 6Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya2
- 7Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology2
- 8University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine2
- 9University of Jaffna2
- 10University of Sri Jayewardenepura2
All 39 scientists
Showing the 2026 career-long list. Looking for single-year rankings? See the single-year list
| Rank in Sri Lanka | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 37,125 | International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) | Agricultural Economics & Policy | Rank 32 | |
| 2 | 59,291 | University of Sri Jayewardenepura | Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology | Rank 197 | |
| 3 | 60,324 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Applied Physics | Rank 1,441 | |
| 4 | 65,221 | Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology | Mechanical Engineering & Transports | Rank 442 | |
| 5 | 69,143 | University of Sri Jayewardenepura | Environmental Sciences | Rank 542 | |
| 6 | 73,947 | University of Peradeniya | Energy | Rank 1,042 | |
| 7 | 75,104 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Environmental Engineering | Rank 330 | |
| 8 | 112,220 | University of Colombo | Tropical Medicine | Rank 227 | |
| 9 | 114,304 | Munasinghe Institute for Development (MIND) | Energy | Rank 1,695 | |
| 10 | 134,104 | University of Kelaniya | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,681 | |
| 11 | 135,625 | Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,701 | |
| 12 | 141,273 |
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|
International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Environmental Engineering | Rank 724 |
| 13 | 144,794 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 1,829 | |
| 14 | 145,895 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Environmental Sciences | Rank 1,252 | |
| 15 | 147,752 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Environmental Engineering | Rank 773 | |
| 16 | 154,158 | University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine | Tropical Medicine | Rank 345 | |
| 17 | 181,765 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Energy | Rank 2,863 | |
| 18 | 187,191 | University of Kelaniya | Tropical Medicine | Rank 417 | |
| 19 | 193,105 | University of Jaffna | Tropical Medicine | Rank 434 | |
| 20 | 210,302 | Faculty of Agriculture University of Ruhuna | Plant Biology & Botany | Rank 3,137 | |
| 21 | 227,005 | Wayamba University of Sri Lanka | Food Science | Rank 1,476 | |
| 22 | 236,162 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Agronomy & Agriculture | Rank 1,419 | |
| 23 | 241,017 | University of Peradeniya | Networking & Telecommunications | Rank 2,415 | |
| 24 | 242,314 | Faculty of Medicine | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 3,144 | |
| 25 | 244,270 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) | Environmental Engineering | Rank 1,342 | |
| 26 | 245,992 | University of Peradeniya | Geological & Geomatics Engineering | Rank 1,320 | |
| 27 | 247,084 |
DP
|
Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology | Building & Construction | Rank 822 |
| 28 | 247,927 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Agronomy & Agriculture | Rank 1,501 | |
| 29 | 255,370 | General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 3,334 | |
| 30 | 261,786 | University of Colombo Faculty of Medicine | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 3,424 | |
| 31 | 263,650 | University of Colombo | Tropical Medicine | Rank 602 | |
| 32 | 273,009 | University of Jaffna | Building & Construction | Rank 930 | |
| 33 | 274,792 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Environmental Sciences | Rank 2,672 | |
| 34 | 298,708 | International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo | Agronomy & Agriculture | Rank 1,849 | |
| 35 | 412,390 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry | Rank 2,112 | |
| 36 | 446,607 | National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka | Zoology | Rank 370 | |
| 37 | 451,616 | University of Colombo | Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry | Rank 2,380 | |
| 38 | 463,062 | Faculty of Medicine, University of Peradeniya | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 6,189 | |
| 39 | 494,655 | University of Kelaniya | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 6,669 | |
| No scientists match this filter on the career-long list. Try the single-year list | |||||
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Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Sri Lanka are in the 2026 Stanford Top 2% list?
68 scientists affiliated with Sri Lanka are on the 2026 single-year list, and 39 are on the career-long list.
Which institute in Sri Lanka has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2026 career-long list, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Sri Lanka has the most listed scientists from Sri Lanka, with 7. It is followed by International Water Management Institute (IWMI) Colombo with 6.
How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Sri Lanka changed since 2020?
On the career-long list, Sri Lanka went from 15 scientists in 2020 to 39 in 2026, a change of +160.0%.
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.