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Science in Belgium

Belgium ranks #19 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#19 all time), with 106k research works and 11.6% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#19
of 189 · #19 all time
Works, 2022-now
106k
▼ 13% vs 2018-21
Citations
19M
22.6 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
11.6%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
1.17×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
1
9 in the top 1,000
Open access
43%
world 40%
International
27%
world 18%
Belgium

What is Belgium strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, Belgium ranks highest in Medicine (#16 of 152), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#14 of 124) and Social Sciences (#20 of 148). Relative to its size it is most specialised in Medical Terminology, Equine and Insect Science.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
MedicineField #16 of 152 13.1%23,397 #16 Institutions
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #14 of 124 11.2%5,139 #15 Institutions
Social SciencesField #20 of 148 12.3%12,955 #20 Institutions
EngineeringField #18 of 131 9.8%14,052 #21 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #17 of 122 10.8%5,060 #17 Institutions
Immunology and MicrobiologyField #10 of 71 14.1%1,314 #12 Institutions
Arts and HumanitiesField #15 of 103 12.0%4,661 #15 Institutions
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #18 of 119 11.4%4,350 #17 Institutions
Political Science and International RelationsSubfield #15 of 95 14.1%2,527 #15 Institutions
Economics, Econometrics and FinanceField #18 of 107 12.0%2,390 #17 Institutions
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsSubfield #12 of 69 9.0%1,028 #13 Institutions
EducationSubfield #20 of 112 12.7%1,348 #19 Institutions

Where its research is concentrated

Location quotient: how much more (or less) of each node it does than its size predicts. Drawn around 1×, where "twice the world share" and "half of it" are the same distance apart in opposite directions. A volume reading, which on a country axis is largely population and industrial structure.

  1. Medical TerminologySubfield · 14.9 works · #12 of 121 active here4.1×
  2. EquineSubfield · 53.3 works · #15 of 135 active here3.4×
  3. Insect ScienceSubfield · 916.9 works · #21 of 214 active here2.7×
  4. Public AdministrationSubfield · 173.2 works · #20 of 186 active here2.7×
  5. ClassicsSubfield · 183.9 works · #13 of 153 active here2.6×
  6. Computational MathematicsSubfield · 27.1 works · #13 of 117 active here2.5×
  7. Linguistics and LanguageSubfield · 331.1 works · #15 of 194 active here2.4×
  8. Theoretical Computer ScienceSubfield · 48.1 works · #17 of 143 active here2.3×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

The whole field profile

All 26 fields at once. A specialist and a generalist produce the same ranked list and a completely different shape.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.02× its world share, 5,844 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.08× its world share, 6,979 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.24× its world share, 1,510 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.43× its world share, 2,794 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 0.72× its world share, 308 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.07× its world share, 452 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.88× its world share, 1,658 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.72× its world share, 6,784 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.98× its world share, 1,862 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.67× its world share, 738 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.87× its world share, 16k worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.99× its world share, 5,929 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.76× its world share, 3,194 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.10× its world share, 1,569 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 1.23× its world share, 3,302 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.82× its world share, 481 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.01× its world share, 3,222 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.14× its world share, 27k worksMedicineNursing: 0.88× its world share, 520 worksNursingVeterinary: 2.08× its world share, 342 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.53× its world share, 5,321 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.68× its world share, 2,657 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.02× its world share, 1,185 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.01× its world share, 2,602 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.21× its world share, 4,467 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.97× its world share, 15k worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Veterinary, 2.1×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Veterinary2.08×342 works
  2. Arts and Humanities1.53×5,321 works
  3. Neuroscience1.43×2,794 works
  4. Immunology and Microbiology1.24×1,510 works
  5. Physics and Astronomy1.23×3,302 works
  6. Psychology1.21×4,467 works
  7. Medicine1.14×27k works
  8. Mathematics1.10×1,569 works
  9. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.08×6,979 works
  10. Chemical Engineering1.07×452 works
  11. Agricultural and Biological Sciences1.02×5,844 works
  12. Decision Sciences1.02×1,185 works
  13. Health Professions1.01×3,222 works
  14. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.01×2,602 works
  15. Environmental Science0.99×5,929 works
  16. Earth and Planetary Sciences0.98×1,862 works
  17. Social Sciences0.97×15k works
  18. Chemistry0.88×1,658 works
  19. Nursing0.88×520 works
  20. Engineering0.87×16k works
  21. Dentistry0.82×481 works
  22. Materials Science0.76×3,194 works
  23. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics0.72×308 works
  24. Computer Science0.72×6,784 works
  25. Business, Management and Accounting0.68×2,657 works
  26. Energy0.67×738 works

Which fields of science does Belgium work in?

In 2022-now, 34% of research in Belgium is in Physical Sciences, 26% in Health Sciences. Its largest fields are Medicine (22%), Engineering (13%), Social Sciences (12%).

Physical Sciences: 41k fractional works · 34.1% of its workEngineering: 16k fractional works · 13.0% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 4,278 fractional works · 3.5% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 2,511 fractional works · 2.1% of its workMechanical Engineering: 1,688 fractional works · 1.4% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 1,175 fractional works · 1.0% of its workAerospace Engineering: 947 fractional works · 0.8% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 854 fractional works · 0.7% of its workBuilding and Construction: 840 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputational Mechanics: 693 fractional works · 0.6% of its workMechanics of Materials: 633 fractional works · 0.5% of its workAutomotive Engineering: 557 fractional works · 0.5% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 542 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOcean Engineering: 446 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMedia Technology: 257 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 307 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Science: 6,784 fractional works · 5.6% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 2,427 fractional works · 2.0% of its workInformation Systems: 881 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 867 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 857 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 575 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSignal Processing: 337 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHuman-Computer Interaction: 301 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 539 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEnvironmental Science: 5,929 fractional works · 4.9% of its workEcology: 1,151 fractional works · 1.0% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 1,027 fractional works · 0.9% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 759 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 653 fractional works · 0.5% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 501 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPollution: 415 fractional works · 0.3% of its workWater Science and Technology: 344 fractional works · 0.3% of its workIndustrial and Manufacturing Engineering: 330 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 312 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 305 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 132 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 3,302 fractional works · 2.7% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 988 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 899 fractional works · 0.7% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 494 fractional works · 0.4% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 398 fractional works · 0.3% of its workRadiation: 266 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 256 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 3,194 fractional works · 2.6% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 1,704 fractional works · 1.4% of its workBiomaterials: 471 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPolymers and Plastics: 359 fractional works · 0.3% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 342 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 318 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1,862 fractional works · 1.5% of its workAtmospheric Science: 511 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOceanography: 339 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPaleontology: 305 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGeophysics: 257 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 450 fractional works · 0.4% of its workChemistry: 1,658 fractional works · 1.4% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 702 fractional works · 0.6% of its workSpectroscopy: 341 fractional works · 0.3% of its workInorganic Chemistry: 258 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 358 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMathematics: 1,569 fractional works · 1.3% of its workStatistics and Probability: 385 fractional works · 0.3% of its workApplied Mathematics: 244 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMathematical Physics: 243 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 697 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnergy: 738 fractional works · 0.6% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 600 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 138 fractional works · 0.1% of its workChemical Engineering: 452 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHealth Sciences: 31k fractional works · 25.7% of its workMedicine: 27k fractional works · 22.0% of its workSurgery: 3,436 fractional works · 2.8% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 2,337 fractional works · 1.9% of its workEpidemiology: 1,895 fractional works · 1.6% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 1,742 fractional works · 1.4% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 1,700 fractional works · 1.4% of its workOncology: 1,510 fractional works · 1.3% of its workPhysiology: 1,283 fractional works · 1.1% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 1,271 fractional works · 1.1% of its workInfectious Diseases: 939 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNeurology: 805 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 802 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 790 fractional works · 0.7% of its workRheumatology: 729 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 664 fractional works · 0.5% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 604 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 496 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 419 fractional works · 0.3% of its workReproductive Medicine: 410 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHematology: 364 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGenetics: 351 fractional works · 0.3% of its workDermatology: 342 fractional works · 0.3% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 321 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNephrology: 299 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEmergency Medicine: 277 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRehabilitation: 273 fractional works · 0.2% of its workOphthalmology: 245 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 2,203 fractional works · 1.8% of its workHealth Professions: 3,222 fractional works · 2.7% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 1,982 fractional works · 1.6% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 287 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 953 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNursing: 520 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 466 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 54 fractional works · 0.0% of its workDentistry: 481 fractional works · 0.4% of its workVeterinary: 342 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmall Animals: 289 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 53 fractional works · 0.0% of its workSocial Sciences: 31k fractional works · 25.7% of its workSocial Sciences: 15k fractional works · 12.2% of its workSociology and Political Science: 4,933 fractional works · 4.1% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 2,873 fractional works · 2.4% of its workEducation: 1,568 fractional works · 1.3% of its workAnthropology: 652 fractional works · 0.5% of its workLaw: 632 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGender Studies: 503 fractional works · 0.4% of its workUrban Studies: 470 fractional works · 0.4% of its workDemography: 428 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCultural Studies: 416 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSafety Research: 410 fractional works · 0.3% of its workCommunication: 364 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLinguistics and Language: 331 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHealth: 313 fractional works · 0.3% of its workTransportation: 298 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 598 fractional works · 0.5% of its workArts and Humanities: 5,321 fractional works · 4.4% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 886 fractional works · 0.7% of its workPhilosophy: 828 fractional works · 0.7% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 816 fractional works · 0.7% of its workHistory: 711 fractional works · 0.6% of its workArcheology: 611 fractional works · 0.5% of its workHistory and Philosophy of Science: 420 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,049 fractional works · 0.9% of its workPsychology: 4,467 fractional works · 3.7% of its workClinical Psychology: 1,512 fractional works · 1.3% of its workSocial Psychology: 1,203 fractional works · 1.0% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 845 fractional works · 0.7% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 617 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 290 fractional works · 0.2% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 2,657 fractional works · 2.2% of its workStrategy and Management: 765 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAccounting: 476 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 402 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMarketing: 316 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement Information Systems: 308 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 306 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 84 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 2,602 fractional works · 2.2% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 1,758 fractional works · 1.5% of its workFinance: 576 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 268 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 1,185 fractional works · 1.0% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 564 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 341 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 280 fractional works · 0.2% of its workLife Sciences: 17k fractional works · 14.4% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 6,979 fractional works · 5.8% of its workMolecular Biology: 3,574 fractional works · 3.0% of its workGenetics: 1,574 fractional works · 1.3% of its workCancer Research: 492 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCell Biology: 381 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 958 fractional works · 0.8% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 5,844 fractional works · 4.8% of its workPlant Science: 1,633 fractional works · 1.4% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 1,198 fractional works · 1.0% of its workInsect Science: 917 fractional works · 0.8% of its workFood Science: 748 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 337 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 1,012 fractional works · 0.8% of its workNeuroscience: 2,794 fractional works · 2.3% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 1,583 fractional works · 1.3% of its workCellular and Molecular Neuroscience: 425 fractional works · 0.4% of its workNeurology: 343 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 443 fractional works · 0.4% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 1,510 fractional works · 1.3% of its workImmunology: 998 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 512 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 308 fractional works · 0.3% of its workALL ITS WORKBelgium121kfractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences14%Physical Sciences34%Health Sciences26%Social Sciences26%

Each ring splits the one inside it: the four domains of science, their fields, their subfields. Size is fractional works in 2022-now. Every slice is a page; the interactive view zooms down to single topics and colours each by how much more of it this country does than the world.

Its 4 domains and 26 fields, with their numbers
    1. Engineering16k13.0%
    2. Computer Science6,7845.6%
    3. Environmental Science5,9294.9%
    4. Physics and Astronomy3,3022.7%
    5. Materials Science3,1942.6%
    6. Earth and Planetary Sciences1,8621.5%
    7. Chemistry1,6581.4%
    8. Mathematics1,5691.3%
    9. Energy7380.6%
    10. Chemical Engineering4520.4%
    1. Medicine27k22.0%
    2. Health Professions3,2222.7%
    3. Nursing5200.4%
    4. Dentistry4810.4%
    5. Veterinary3420.3%
    1. Social Sciences15k12.2%
    2. Arts and Humanities5,3214.4%
    3. Psychology4,4673.7%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting2,6572.2%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance2,6022.2%
    6. Decision Sciences1,1851.0%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6,9795.8%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences5,8444.8%
    3. Neuroscience2,7942.3%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology1,5101.3%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics3080.3%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Belgium?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Climate Change, Globalization, Quality of Life, Inflammation, Sustainability, Biodiversity and Machine Learning.

▲ more of its work than of the world's◆ about the world's share▼ less than the world's

Size is fractional works in 2022-now in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this country's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Epidemiology5,676▲ 1.18×140 topics
  2. Climate Change3,571◆ 1.09×131 topics
  3. Globalization2,872▲ 1.21×182 topics
  4. Machine Learning2,752▼ 0.68×95 topics
  5. Sustainability2,563◆ 0.87×139 topics
  6. Deep Learning2,543▼ 0.61×84 topics
  7. Inflammation2,452◆ 0.95×83 topics
  8. Quality of Life2,117▲ 1.21×61 topics
  9. Public Health1,899◆ 1.08×76 topics
  10. Environmental Impact1,870◆ 0.91×73 topics
  11. Mental Health1,824◆ 1.06×48 topics
  12. Treatment1,666◆ 1.13×52 topics
  13. Oxidative Stress1,578▼ 0.79×63 topics
  14. Biodiversity1,547▲ 1.68×38 topics
  15. Human Rights1,377◆ 1.11×90 topics
  16. Cardiovascular Disease1,345◆ 0.98×39 topics
  17. Renewable Energy1,332▼ 0.76×61 topics
  18. Diagnosis1,313▲ 1.17×41 topics
  19. Invasive Species1,118▲ 2.2×21 topics
  20. Identity1,090▲ 1.25×79 topics
  21. Genetics1,056▲ 1.24×27 topics
  22. Gender1,049▲ 1.62×58 topics
  23. Management1,048◆ 1.09×40 topics
  24. Clinical Trials974▲ 1.21×19 topics
  25. Social Justice970▲ 1.35×55 topics
  26. Religion929▲ 1.66×43 topics
  27. Colonialism917▲ 1.60×51 topics
  28. Evolution878▲ 2.7×19 topics
  29. Ethics878▲ 1.44×62 topics
  30. Conservation875▲ 1.69×24 topics
  31. Democracy797▲ 1.89×30 topics
  32. Phylogeny787▲ 3.9×17 topics
  33. Community Engagement766▲ 1.95×21 topics
  34. European Union738▲ 2.7×29 topics
  35. Taxonomy679▲ 3.9×15 topics
  36. Biogeography664▲ 1.97×20 topics
  37. DNA Barcoding651▲ 3.1×9 topics
  38. Territorial Governance539▲ 3.9×4 topics
  39. Local Development510▲ 4.1×2 topics
  40. Institutionalization460▲ 4.1×5 topics

Which research topics does Belgium publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are French Urban and Social Studies, Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy, Education, sociology, and vocational training.

French Urban and Social …319French Urban and Social Studies: 319 fractional worksLepidoptera: Biology and…289Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy: 289 fractional worksEducation, sociology, and vocational training: 271 fractional worksSemiconductor materials and devices: 235 fractional worksPhotonic and Optical Devices: 224 fractional worksEuropean Union Policy an…218European Union Policy and Governance: 218 fractional worksHealth Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life: 210 fractional worksPlant and animal studies: 209 fractional worksBiological Control of In…207Biological Control of Invasive Species: 207 fractional worksHealthcare Systems and Practices: 196 fractional worksSocial Sciences and Governance: 192 fractional worksHealth, Medicine and Soc…191Health, Medicine and Society: 191 fractional works
Sociology and Political ScienceGeneticsElectrical and Electronic EngineeringPolitical Science and International Relations5 others

Area is fractional works in 2022-now; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to. Every tile is a topic page.

  1. 1 French Urban and Social Studies Sociology and Political Science 319 works
  2. 2 Lepidoptera: Biology and Taxonomy Genetics 289 works
  3. 3 Education, sociology, and vocational training Sociology and Political Science 271 works
  4. 4 Semiconductor materials and devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 235 works
  5. 5 Photonic and Optical Devices Electrical and Electronic Engineering 224 works
  6. 6 European Union Policy and Governance Political Science and International Relations 218 works
  7. 7 Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life Economics and Econometrics 210 works
  8. 8 Plant and animal studies Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics 209 works
  9. 9 Biological Control of Invasive Species Insect Science 207 works
  10. 10 Healthcare Systems and Practices General Health Professions 196 works
  11. 11 Social Sciences and Governance Urban Studies 192 works
  12. 12 Health, Medicine and Society General Health Professions 191 works

How many world-class institutions does Belgium hold?

Average quality and elite capacity disagree by construction, and both are worth knowing: the first is decided by a country's whole institution population, the second counts the institutions it holds at the top. One square per institution.

Standing among countries2022-nowWhere that sitsAll time
Average qualityits whole institution population #19 of 189 #19 of 203
Elite capacitythe institutions it holds at the top #17 of 204 #16 of 216

Elite capacity counts a country's institutions by their worldwide rank, weighted so a place at #1 counts for more than one at #480. Countries under 100 fractional works are left out.

51st to 100th1101st to 500th5501st to 1,000th3

Bands are exclusive, so the squares add up to 9 (the institutions it holds in the world top 1,000), not to four times it.

Which universities in Belgium lead research?

KU Leuven, Ghent University and University of Antwerp rank highest in Belgium on research quality in 2022-now.

0%10%20%mean 10.7533%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →Ghent UniversityKU LeuvenUniversity of AntwerpUCLouvain
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per institution in the list below. The upper left is the interesting corner.

  1. 1KU LeuvenUniversity · Leuven · #88 worldwide13.1% top 10% · 20k works
  2. 2Ghent UniversityUniversity · Ghent · #107 worldwide13.8% top 10% · 16k works
  3. 3University of AntwerpUniversity · Antwerp · #277 worldwide13.0% top 10% · 7.1k works
  4. 4UCLouvainUniversity · Louvain-la-Neuve · #318 worldwide10.1% top 10% · 7.4k works
  5. 5Vrije Universiteit BrusselUniversity · Brussels · #333 worldwide13.0% top 10% · 6k works
  6. 6Université Libre de BruxellesUniversity · Brussels · #369 worldwide11.1% top 10% · 6.5k works
  7. 7University of LiègeUniversity · Liège · #564 worldwide10.2% top 10% · 7.1k works
  8. 8European CommissionGovernment institution · Brussels · #566 worldwide15.3% top 10% · 3.7k works
  9. 9Hasselt UniversityUniversity · Hasselt · #863 worldwide13.0% top 10% · 1.8k works
  10. 10University of MonsUniversity · Mons · #1,621 worldwide5.2% top 10% · 3.9k works
  11. 11HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and ArtsUniversity · Ghent · #1,705 worldwide12.0% top 10% · 577 works
  12. 12University of NamurUniversity · Namur · #2,188 worldwide8.2% top 10% · 1.2k works
  13. 13IMECNonprofit · Leuven · #2,360 worldwide9.6% top 10% · 2.1k works
  14. 14Institute of Natural SciencesResearch facility · Brussels · #2,737 worldwide2.4% top 10% · 1.3k works
  15. 15Flanders Make (Belgium)Company · Lommel · #3,323 worldwide11.3% top 10% · 801 works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the average of all institutions, 10.0% (how it is set): teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Belgium

Who are the top researchers in Belgium?

Jeroen Raes, Sarah‐Maria Fendt and M. Maes rank highest among researchers based in Belgium.

  1. 1 Jeroen Raes #1,855 worldwide 126k citations · 470 works
  2. 2 Sarah‐Maria Fendt #3,456 worldwide 20k citations · 242 works
  3. 3 M. Maes #3,749 worldwide 54k citations · 515 works
  4. 4 Mohamed Lamkanfi #4,281 worldwide 30k citations · 149 works
  5. 5 Diego G. Miralles #6,426 worldwide 38k citations · 485 works
  6. 6 P. Petrov #6,511 worldwide 23k citations · 205 works
  7. 7 R. Volpe #6,745 worldwide 59k citations · 715 works
  8. 8 Yves Van de Peer #7,198 worldwide 87k citations · 774 works
  9. 9 Patrice D. Cani #7,383 worldwide 94k citations · 601 works
  10. 10 V. Lemaı̂tre #7,447 worldwide 86k citations · 952 works
Top researchers in Belgium

Which cities in Belgium are research hubs?

  1. 1 BrusselsBelgium 211k works
  2. 2 LeuvenBelgium 169k works
  3. 3 LiègeBelgium 155k works
  4. 4 GhentBelgium 116k works
  5. 5 AntwerpBelgium 54k works
  6. 6 Louvain-la-NeuveBelgium 48k works
  7. 7 MonsBelgium 20k works

How much of it is in the largest

The same cities as shares of everything these twelve account for.

Brussels: 27.3%Leuven: 21.9%Liège: 20.0%Ghent: 15.0%3 others listed: 15.8%27%largest
Brussels211k · 27.3%Leuven169k · 21.9%Liège155k · 20.0%Ghent116k · 15.0%3 others listed122k · 15.8%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

How open and international is Belgium's research?

43% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 27% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available43.0%not open57.0%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors27.2%domestic only72.8%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 70% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 43% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 1.15× the expected open access and 1.87× the expected international share, which puts it #35 of 173 countries on openness.

How has Belgium's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 13% lower than in 2018-2021.

still counting1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon: one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Belgium as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.46% in 2024.

still counting0.50%1.0%1.5%Belgium0.46% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Belgium over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Over the whole record, 10.6% of its 843k works since 1950 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting5%10%15%Belgium11.0% in 2025all institutions10.0% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's output, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for its field and year. Peak 12.3% in 2021.

Which countries have research most like Belgium's?

Switzerland is Belgium's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Belgium's, with both strong in Veterinary.

  1. 1 SwitzerlandBoth strong in Veterinary, Arts and Humanities, Neuroscience 0.78 Compare
  2. 2 United StatesBoth strong in Veterinary, Neuroscience, Immunology and Microbiology 0.72 Compare
  3. 3 SwedenBoth strong in Veterinary, Neuroscience, Immunology and Microbiology 0.71 Compare
  4. 4 United KingdomBoth strong in Veterinary, Arts and Humanities, Neuroscience 0.71 Compare
  5. 5 SpainBoth strong in Arts and Humanities, Veterinary, Psychology 0.71 Compare

Similarity is the correlation of each side's location quotients across every field it publishes in, on a log scale: 1 is the same shape of research, 0 is unrelated. It ignores size. How it is measured.

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Belgium on Science Explorer

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Its overall standing, then the domains, fields and subfields where Belgium is in the world's top ten or its top 1%. Each has an image of its own.

Overall

Fields

Subfields

Research fields in Belgium

Questions people ask

What is Belgium strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, Belgium ranks highest in Medicine (#16 of 152), Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#14 of 124) and Social Sciences (#20 of 148). Relative to its size it is most specialised in Medical Terminology, Equine and Insect Science.

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