Iran in the Top 2% Scientists list 2026: 2,677 scholars, fields, and institutions
Live ABS Nexora analytics: Iran lists 2,677 Top 2% scientists in the 2026 single-year cohort (~1.08% of the SY analytics total), led by Clinical Medicine (978) and University of Tehran (123).
How many Top 2% scientists are from Iran?
Direct answer: ABS Nexora’s latest single-year country profile for Iran (irn) lists 2,677 Top 2% scientists for selected year 2026 — about 1.08% of the Directory’s single-year country-analytics cohort (~247,376 researchers). Average citations in this snapshot are about 2,015, with average h-index near 13.5, across 442 distinct institutions.
Iran shows one of the higher average-citation levels in this country set (~2,015) and rapid cohort growth since 2020, with Clinical Medicine and Chemistry leading and Tehran-area medical universities as dense hubs.
Regional context: Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan.
Who are the top 10 Top 2% scientists in Iran?
Direct answer: In ABS Nexora’s Iran country profile (irn, single-year 2026), the top 10 listed scholars by Directory ranking start with Sahebkar, Amirhossein (Mashhad University of Medical Sciences; Clinical Medicine; global rank 96; ~53,027 citations). The table below uses # in country for order within this national list and Global rank for the scholar’s overall rank_all in the single-year listing.
| # in country | Researcher | Institution | Field | Global rank | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sahebkar, Amirhossein | Mashhad University of Medical Sciences | Clinical Medicine | 96 | 53,027 |
| 2 | Kaveh, Ali | Iran University of Science and Technology, College of Civil Engineering Tehran | Engineering | 410 | 3,329 |
| 3 | Jafari, Seid Mahdi | Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources | Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry | 441 | 10,841 |
| 4 | Derakhshan, Ali | Golestan University | Communication & Textual Studies | 528 | 3,615 |
| 5 | Iravani, Siavash | Independent Researcher | Enabling & Strategic Technologies | 565 | 3,649 |
| 6 | Sheikholeslami, Mohsen | Babol Noshirvani University of Technology | Engineering | 771 | 3,250 |
| 7 | Shafik, Wasswa | Yazd University | Information & Communication Technologies | 909 | 1,620 |
| 8 | Gharehchopogh, Farhad Soleimanian | Islamic Azad University | Information & Communication Technologies | 1,290 | 3,344 |
| 9 | Salavati-Niasari, Masoud | University of Kashan | Chemistry | 1,370 | 6,304 |
| 10 | Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi | Iran University of Medical Sciences | Information & Communication Technologies | 1,548 | 34,517 |
Open any linked name for the full Directory scholar profile. Country order follows the live top_researchers panel on Iran analytics.
What are Iran’s strongest fields?
Iran’s largest Top 2% field cohort is Clinical Medicine with 978 listed scholars. The next fields in the live profile are:
| Field | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| Clinical Medicine | 978 |
| Chemistry | 440 |
| Engineering | 360 |
| Enabling & Strategic Technologies | 324 |
| Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry | 136 |
Which institutions lead in Iran?
The largest institutional cohort in the Iran profile is University of Tehran (123 listed scholars). Other leading affiliations:
| Institution | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| University of Tehran | 123 |
| Tehran University of Medical Sciences | 112 |
| Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences | 75 |
| Iran University of Science and Technology | 74 |
| Tabriz University of Medical Sciences | 66 |
How has Iran’s Top 2% cohort changed from 2020 to 2026?
In the country-profile timeline, Iran moved from 1,154 listed scholars (2020) to 2,677 (2026) — a change of 1,523 (~+132%).
| Edition year | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,154 |
| 2021 | 1,701 |
| 2022 | 1,942 |
| 2023 | 2,140 |
| 2024 | 2,327 |
| 2025 | 2,532 |
| 2026 | 2,677 |
Snapshot metrics (single-year 2026)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Listed scholars | 2,677 |
| Share of global (SY analytics) | 1.08% |
| Avg. citations | 2,015 |
| Avg. h-index | 13.5 |
| Best rank (in profile) | 96 |
| Distinct institutions | 442 |
| Leading field | Clinical Medicine (978) |
One highly ranked profile example in this snapshot: Sahebkar, Amirhossein (Mashhad University of Medical Sciences; Clinical Medicine). Rankings shift with listing type and year — always verify on the live Directory.
Explore Iran on ABS Nexora
- Iran country analytics
- Directory search (filter by country / institution)
- Full analytics dashboard
- 2026 edition explained
- How to read country counts
Related country insights
- Turkey Top 2% directory 2026
- Saudi Arabia Top 2% directory 2026
- Pakistan Top 2% directory 2026
- Rising countries 2020–2026
FAQ
How many Top 2% scientists does Iran have in 2026? 2,677 listed scholars in ABS Nexora’s single-year country profile for selected year 2026.
What share of the global list is that? About 1.08% of the single-year country-analytics cohort (~247,376 researchers in the matching dashboard snapshot).
Which field is strongest in Iran? Clinical Medicine, with 978 listed scholars in the live profile.
Which institution has the most listed scholars? University of Tehran, with 123 in this snapshot (affiliation coding follows the underlying dataset).
Did Iran grow between 2020 and 2026? Yes — from 1,154 to 2,677 listed scholars (~+132%) in the country timeline.
Who ranks highest among Iran’s Top 2% scientists? In this snapshot, Sahebkar, Amirhossein leads the country top_researchers list (see the top-10 table above for linked profiles).
Where can I verify these figures? Open the live Iran country page or Analytics on ABS Nexora; numbers refresh with the Directory database. Data source: Elsevier / Stanford–Ioannidis World’s Top 2% Scientists lists via ABS Nexora.