Switzerland's Top 2% Scientists 2023
Switzerland has 3,311 scientists on the 2023 single-year Top 2% list, up 2.4% from 3,233 in 2022. That places Switzerland 13th in the world by number of listed scientists. ETH Zürich has the most listed scientists (481), followed by Universität Zürich (310).
Scientists in Switzerland on the list, by year
The single-year count has grown 26% since 2020.
Show the numbers
| Year | Single Year | Change | Career Data | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 2,622 | 2,546 | ||
| 2021 | 3,016 | +15.0% | 2,974 | +16.8% |
| 2022 | 3,233 | +7.2% | 3,141 | +5.6% |
| 2023 | 3,311 | +2.4% | 3,261 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | 3,404 | +2.8% | 3,431 | +5.2% |
| 2025 | 3,549 | +4.3% | 3,659 | +6.6% |
Top 10 institutes in Switzerland
By number of listed scientists
Show the list
- 1ETH Zürich481
- 2Universität Zürich310
- 3Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne251
- 4Université de Genève155
- 5University of Bern146
- 6Universitat Basel125
- 7Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève103
- 8Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois98
- 9Organisation Mondiale de la Santé98
- 10Université de Lausanne (UNIL)97
All 3,311 scientists
| Rank in Switzerland | World rank | Scientist | Institute | Sub-field | Rank in sub-field |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 2 | |
| 2 | 92 | Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Lausanne | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 5 | |
| 3 | 399 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Building & Construction | Rank 3 | |
| 4 | 499 | ETH Zürich | Strategic, Defence & Security Studies | Rank 2 | |
| 5 | 584 | Universitat Basel | Ecology | Rank 11 | |
| 6 | 715 | ETH Zürich | Fluids & Plasmas | Rank 4 | |
| 7 | 830 |
FE
|
Universität Zürich | Economics | Rank 15 |
| 8 | 850 |
AC
|
Universität Zürich | Allergy | Rank 1 |
| 9 | 883 | Eawag - Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology | Environmental Engineering | Rank 5 | |
| 10 | 903 | Paul Scherrer Institut | Applied Physics | Rank 25 | |
| 11 | 921 |
GA
|
NNAISENSE | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 54 |
| 12 | 939 | UniversitatsSpital Zurich | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 27 | |
| 13 | 1,012 | ETH Zürich | Applied Physics | Rank 31 | |
| 14 | 1,104 |
SC
|
University of Fribourg | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Rank 5 |
| 15 | 1,282 | Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 33 | |
| 16 | 1,343 | ETH Zürich | Nutrition & Dietetics | Rank 6 | |
| 17 | 1,384 | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology | Building & Construction | Rank 10 | |
| 18 | 1,520 | Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques | Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry | Rank 6 | |
| 19 | 1,535 | Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Rank 16 | |
| 20 | 1,628 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 55 | |
| 21 | 1,692 | Université de Genève | General Physics | Rank 14 | |
| 22 | 1,794 | Universität Zürich | Plant Biology & Botany | Rank 16 | |
| 23 | 1,805 |
SJ
|
ETH Zürich | Agronomy & Agriculture | Rank 11 |
| 24 | 1,806 | ETH Zürich | Chemical Physics | Rank 35 | |
| 25 | 1,911 | Universität Zürich | Communication & Media Studies | Rank 3 | |
| 26 | 1,919 | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 65 | |
| 27 | 1,968 |
KR
|
Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Rank 22 |
| 28 | 2,002 | ETH Zürich | Electrical & Electronic Engineering | Rank 5 | |
| 29 | 2,008 | ETH Zürich | Statistics & Probability | Rank 29 | |
| 30 | 2,018 | UniversitatsSpital Zurich | Surgery | Rank 1 | |
| 31 | 2,049 | Universität Zürich | Agronomy & Agriculture | Rank 12 | |
| 32 | 2,139 | Institut des Sciences et Ingénierie Chimiques | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 79 | |
| 33 | 2,234 | Organisation Mondiale de la Santé | Nutrition & Dietetics | Rank 9 | |
| 34 | 2,240 | ETH Zürich | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Rank 26 | |
| 35 | 2,290 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Applied Physics | Rank 66 | |
| 36 | 2,333 | Université de Genève | Developmental Biology | Rank 77 | |
| 37 | 2,345 | Universität Zürich | Industrial Engineering & Automation | Rank 20 | |
| 38 | 2,358 | University of Fribourg | Microbiology | Rank 46 | |
| 39 | 2,394 | Universität Zürich | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 79 | |
| 40 | 2,745 |
HX
|
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Organic Chemistry | Rank 37 |
| 41 | 2,956 | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology | Environmental Sciences | Rank 46 | |
| 42 | 2,957 | Istituto di Ricerca in Biomedicina, Bellinzona | Immunology | Rank 73 | |
| 43 | 2,968 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 130 | |
| 44 | 2,977 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Applied Physics | Rank 82 | |
| 45 | 2,992 | International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources | Fisheries | Rank 4 | |
| 46 | 3,052 | Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Immunology | Rank 77 | |
| 47 | 3,140 | Universität Zürich | Experimental Psychology | Rank 58 | |
| 48 | 3,179 | Universität Zürich | Ecology | Rank 91 | |
| 49 | 3,216 | ETH Zürich | Civil Engineering | Rank 9 | |
| 50 | 3,236 | ETH Zürich | Environmental Engineering | Rank 10 | |
| 51 | 3,262 | Universitat Basel | Economics | Rank 68 | |
| 52 | 3,274 | Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Psychiatry | Rank 82 | |
| 53 | 3,338 | ETH Zürich | Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry | Rank 11 | |
| 54 | 3,390 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Rank 71 | |
| 55 | 3,412 | ETH Zürich | Materials | Rank 62 | |
| 56 | 3,433 | ETH Zürich | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Rank 74 | |
| 57 | 3,460 | University of Bern | Evolutionary Biology | Rank 27 | |
| 58 | 3,519 | ETH Zürich | Optics | Rank 15 | |
| 59 | 3,551 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Neurology & Neurosurgery | Rank 208 | |
| 60 | 3,594 | Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Immunology | Rank 94 | |
| 61 | 3,600 | ETH Zürich | Organic Chemistry | Rank 51 | |
| 62 | 3,629 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Networking & Telecommunications | Rank 32 | |
| 63 | 3,633 | Centre Universitaire de Médecine Générale et Santé Publique, Lausanne | General & Internal Medicine | Rank 79 | |
| 64 | 3,685 | Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 118 | |
| 65 | 3,730 | Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève | Endocrinology & Metabolism | Rank 73 | |
| 66 | 3,900 | University of Bern | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 59 | |
| 67 | 3,907 | ETH Zürich | Statistics & Probability | Rank 35 | |
| 68 | 3,954 | ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences | Nanoscience & Nanotechnology | Rank 137 | |
| 69 | 4,059 | ETH Zürich | Energy | Rank 89 | |
| 70 | 4,061 | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology | Materials | Rank 70 | |
| 71 | 4,119 | Universität Zürich | Developmental Biology | Rank 134 | |
| 72 | 4,131 | Université de Genève | Social Psychology | Rank 120 | |
| 73 | 4,295 | University of Bern, Faculty of Medicine | Dentistry | Rank 8 | |
| 74 | 4,301 | Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes | Psychiatry | Rank 108 | |
| 75 | 4,320 | Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire | Nuclear & Particle Physics | Rank 35 | |
| 76 | 4,329 | Vir Biotechnology, Inc. | Immunology | Rank 112 | |
| 77 | 4,459 |
SB
|
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Chemical Physics | Rank 80 |
| 78 | 4,471 | ETH Zürich | Microbiology | Rank 87 | |
| 79 | 4,722 | Université de Genève | Social Psychology | Rank 133 | |
| 80 | 4,775 | University Hospital Bern | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 156 | |
| 81 | 4,817 | ETH Zürich | Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing | Rank 192 | |
| 82 | 4,906 | Organisation Mondiale de la Santé | Public Health | Rank 53 | |
| 83 | 5,003 | ETH Zürich | Fluids & Plasmas | Rank 32 | |
| 84 | 5,019 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Materials | Rank 80 | |
| 85 | 5,041 |
MH
|
UniversitatsSpital Zurich | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 177 |
| 86 | 5,062 | ETH Zürich | Science Studies | Rank 11 | |
| 87 | 5,135 |
GC
|
Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève | Arthritis & Rheumatology | Rank 34 |
| 88 | 5,141 | ETH Zürich | Building & Construction | Rank 35 | |
| 89 | 5,222 |
BJ
|
University Hospital Bern | Gastroenterology & Hepatology | Rank 72 |
| 90 | 5,240 | Universitat Basel | General Chemistry | Rank 27 | |
| 91 | 5,270 | ETH Zürich | Business & Management | Rank 131 | |
| 92 | 5,276 | Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne | Optics | Rank 23 | |
| 93 | 5,294 |
BP
|
Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Immunology | Rank 133 |
| 94 | 5,308 | Universitätsspital Basel | Endocrinology & Metabolism | Rank 108 | |
| 95 | 5,360 | Université de Genève | Neurology & Neurosurgery | Rank 318 | |
| 96 | 5,421 | Universitätsspital Zürich, Dermatologische Klinik | Oncology & Carcinogenesis | Rank 190 | |
| 97 | 5,455 | Università della Svizzera italiana | Cardiovascular System & Hematology | Rank 186 | |
| 98 | 5,491 | ETH Zürich | Geochemistry & Geophysics | Rank 71 | |
| 99 | 5,504 |
WM
|
Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima | Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences | Rank 105 |
| 100 | 5,581 | Université de Lausanne (UNIL) | Evolutionary Biology | Rank 47 | |
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See all 3,311 scientists in Switzerland
You are seeing the first 100. 3,211 more are on the 2023 single-year list.
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Frequently asked questions
How many scientists from Switzerland are in the 2023 Stanford Top 2% list?
3,311 scientists affiliated with Switzerland are on the 2023 single-year list, and 3,261 are on the career-long list.
Which institute in Switzerland has the most Top 2% scientists?
On the 2023 single-year list, ETH Zürich has the most listed scientists from Switzerland, with 481. It is followed by Universität Zürich with 310.
How has the number of Top 2% scientists in Switzerland changed since 2020?
On the single-year list, Switzerland went from 2,622 scientists in 2020 to 3,311 in 2023, a change of +26.3%.
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.