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Science in Iceland

Iceland ranks #50 of 189 countries on research quality in 2022-now (#42 all time), with 5.2k research works and 10.0% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022-now
#50
of 189 · #42 all time
Works, 2022-now
5.2k
▲ 11% vs 2018-21
Citations
641k
25.7 per fractional work, all time
Top-10% rate
10.0%
all institutions 10.0%
vs its own fields
0.95×
1.00× is exactly expected
In the world top 100
0
1 in the top 1,000
Open access
46%
world 40%
International
42%
world 18%
Iceland

What is Iceland strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022-now, Iceland ranks highest in Medicine (#40 of 152), Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology (#37 of 105) and Social Sciences (#55 of 148). Relative to its size it is most specialised in Chemical Health and Safety, Classics and Geophysics.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
MedicineField #40 of 152 11.3%971 #32 Institutions
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular BiologyField #37 of 105 12.4%228 #34 Institutions
Social SciencesField #55 of 148 9.1%831 #48 Institutions
PsychologyField #41 of 106 9.0%304 #37 Institutions
Arts and HumanitiesField #40 of 103 12.6%249 #41 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #49 of 122 9.1%428 #46 Institutions
EngineeringField #54 of 131 11.3%443 #52 Institutions
Sociology and Political ScienceSubfield #50 of 119 9.2%254 #46 Institutions
Earth and Planetary SciencesField #34 of 78 11.0%221 #29 Institutions
Computer ScienceField #69 of 128 5.8%255 #54 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. Chemical Health and SafetySubfield · 5.5 works · #48 of 139 active here14×
  2. ClassicsSubfield · 24.2 works · #49 of 153 active here6.8×
  3. GeophysicsSubfield · 97.2 works · #66 of 208 active here4.7×
  4. Atmospheric ScienceSubfield · 102.9 works · #65 of 217 active here3.9×
  5. Aquatic ScienceSubfield · 42.1 works · #77 of 214 active here3.9×
  6. EquineSubfield · 3.0 works · #67 of 135 active here3.9×
  7. Nature and Landscape ConservationSubfield · 52.4 works · #77 of 222 active here3.7×
  8. Earth and Planetary SciencesField · 282.8 works · #66 of 222 active here3.0×
← 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: 0.74× its world share, 209 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.84× its world share, 267 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 0.89× its world share, 53 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.27× its world share, 123 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.29× its world share, 27 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.37× its world share, 28 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.50× its world share, 47 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.61× its world share, 282 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 3.03× its world share, 283 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.00× its world share, 55 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.56× its world share, 503 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.67× its world share, 494 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.48× its world share, 100 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.71× its world share, 50 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.92× its world share, 122 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.59× its world share, 17 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.27× its world share, 199 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.98× its world share, 1,120 worksMedicineNursing: 1.12× its world share, 33 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.99× its world share, 8 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 1.65× its world share, 283 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.86× its world share, 165 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 0.84× its world share, 48 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.15× its world share, 146 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.92× its world share, 349 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.24× its world share, 936 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Earth and Planetary Sciences, 3.0×. Every wedge is a field page.

All 26 fields, with their numbers
  1. Earth and Planetary Sciences3.03×283 works
  2. Psychology1.92×349 works
  3. Environmental Science1.67×494 works
  4. Arts and Humanities1.65×283 works
  5. Chemical Engineering1.37×28 works
  6. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics1.29×27 works
  7. Neuroscience1.27×123 works
  8. Health Professions1.27×199 works
  9. Social Sciences1.24×936 works
  10. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1.15×146 works
  11. Nursing1.12×33 works
  12. Energy1.00×55 works
  13. Veterinary0.99×8 works
  14. Medicine0.98×1,120 works
  15. Physics and Astronomy0.92×122 works
  16. Immunology and Microbiology0.89×53 works
  17. Business, Management and Accounting0.86×165 works
  18. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology0.84×267 works
  19. Decision Sciences0.84×48 works
  20. Agricultural and Biological Sciences0.74×209 works
  21. Mathematics0.71×50 works
  22. Computer Science0.61×282 works
  23. Dentistry0.59×17 works
  24. Engineering0.56×503 works
  25. Chemistry0.50×47 works
  26. Materials Science0.48×100 works

Which fields of science does Iceland work in?

In 2022-now, 33% of research in Iceland is in Physical Sciences, 32% in Social Sciences. Its largest fields are Medicine (19%), Social Sciences (16%), Engineering (8%). It does 1.3× the world's share of Social Sciences.

Physical Sciences: 1,964 fractional works · 33.0% of its workEngineering: 503 fractional works · 8.5% of its workElectrical and Electronic Engineering: 112 fractional works · 1.9% of its workAerospace Engineering: 85 fractional works · 1.4% of its workBiomedical Engineering: 77 fractional works · 1.3% of its workCivil and Structural Engineering: 51 fractional works · 0.9% of its workMechanical Engineering: 37 fractional works · 0.6% of its workControl and Systems Engineering: 23 fractional works · 0.4% of its workOcean Engineering: 21 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMechanics of Materials: 21 fractional works · 0.4% of its workMedia Technology: 19 fractional works · 0.3% of its workBuilding and Construction: 18 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 39 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEnvironmental Science: 494 fractional works · 8.3% of its workEcology: 137 fractional works · 2.3% of its workGlobal and Planetary Change: 96 fractional works · 1.6% of its workNature and Landscape Conservation: 52 fractional works · 0.9% of its workManagement, Monitoring, Policy and Law: 48 fractional works · 0.8% of its workEnvironmental Engineering: 42 fractional works · 0.7% of its workHealth, Toxicology and Mutagenesis: 38 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEnvironmental Chemistry: 27 fractional works · 0.4% of its workWater Science and Technology: 19 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPollution: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 18 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth and Planetary Sciences: 283 fractional works · 4.8% of its workAtmospheric Science: 103 fractional works · 1.7% of its workGeophysics: 97 fractional works · 1.6% of its workOceanography: 34 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPaleontology: 16 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEarth-Surface Processes: 14 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 19 fractional works · 0.3% of its workComputer Science: 282 fractional works · 4.7% of its workArtificial Intelligence: 98 fractional works · 1.7% of its workInformation Systems: 41 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputer Vision and Pattern Recognition: 40 fractional works · 0.7% of its workComputational Theory and Mathematics: 31 fractional works · 0.5% of its workComputer Networks and Communications: 22 fractional works · 0.4% of its workComputer Science Applications: 15 fractional works · 0.3% of its workHuman-Computer Interaction: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSignal Processing: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.1% of its workPhysics and Astronomy: 122 fractional works · 2.1% of its workAtomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics: 53 fractional works · 0.9% of its workAstronomy and Astrophysics: 28 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNuclear and High Energy Physics: 15 fractional works · 0.3% of its workStatistical and Nonlinear Physics: 14 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workMaterials Science: 100 fractional works · 1.7% of its workMaterials Chemistry: 54 fractional works · 0.9% of its workBiomaterials: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workElectronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workEnergy: 55 fractional works · 0.9% of its workRenewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment: 47 fractional works · 0.8% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.1% of its workMathematics: 50 fractional works · 0.8% of its workChemistry: 47 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOrganic Chemistry: 22 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 25 fractional works · 0.4% of its workChemical Engineering: 28 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSocial Sciences: 1,928 fractional works · 32.4% of its workSocial Sciences: 937 fractional works · 15.7% of its workSociology and Political Science: 289 fractional works · 4.9% of its workEducation: 197 fractional works · 3.3% of its workPolitical Science and International Relations: 106 fractional works · 1.8% of its workGender Studies: 53 fractional works · 0.9% of its workDemography: 48 fractional works · 0.8% of its workTransportation: 34 fractional works · 0.6% of its workHealth: 32 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSafety Research: 31 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeography, Planning and Development: 26 fractional works · 0.4% of its workAnthropology: 23 fractional works · 0.4% of its workCommunication: 19 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLinguistics and Language: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workLaw: 14 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCultural Studies: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 33 fractional works · 0.6% of its workPsychology: 349 fractional works · 5.9% of its workClinical Psychology: 135 fractional works · 2.3% of its workSocial Psychology: 83 fractional works · 1.4% of its workExperimental and Cognitive Psychology: 63 fractional works · 1.1% of its workDevelopmental and Educational Psychology: 53 fractional works · 0.9% of its workApplied Psychology: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 3 fractional works · 0.0% of its workArts and Humanities: 283 fractional works · 4.8% of its workLanguage and Linguistics: 55 fractional works · 0.9% of its workHistory: 52 fractional works · 0.9% of its workLiterature and Literary Theory: 49 fractional works · 0.8% of its workPhilosophy: 29 fractional works · 0.5% of its workClassics: 24 fractional works · 0.4% of its workVisual Arts and Performing Arts: 24 fractional works · 0.4% of its workArcheology: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSmaller subfields together: 33 fractional works · 0.5% of its workBusiness, Management and Accounting: 165 fractional works · 2.8% of its workStrategy and Management: 47 fractional works · 0.8% of its workOrganizational Behavior and Human Resource Management: 39 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAccounting: 22 fractional works · 0.4% of its workManagement of Technology and Innovation: 20 fractional works · 0.3% of its workMarketing: 18 fractional works · 0.3% of its workManagement Information Systems: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 6 fractional works · 0.1% of its workEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 146 fractional works · 2.5% of its workEconomics and Econometrics: 108 fractional works · 1.8% of its workFinance: 25 fractional works · 0.4% of its workGeneral Economics, Econometrics and Finance: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workDecision Sciences: 48 fractional works · 0.8% of its workManagement Science and Operations Research: 27 fractional works · 0.5% of its workInformation Systems and Management: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 9 fractional works · 0.1% of its workHealth Sciences: 1,376 fractional works · 23.1% of its workMedicine: 1,120 fractional works · 18.8% of its workPublic Health, Environmental and Occupational Health: 104 fractional works · 1.8% of its workSurgery: 96 fractional works · 1.6% of its workEpidemiology: 90 fractional works · 1.5% of its workPhysiology: 68 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPulmonary and Respiratory Medicine: 66 fractional works · 1.1% of its workCardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine: 63 fractional works · 1.1% of its workPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health: 59 fractional works · 1.0% of its workPsychiatry and Mental health: 55 fractional works · 0.9% of its workOncology: 51 fractional works · 0.9% of its workRheumatology: 40 fractional works · 0.7% of its workInfectious Diseases: 35 fractional works · 0.6% of its workEndocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism: 34 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNeurology: 30 fractional works · 0.5% of its workOrthopedics and Sports Medicine: 29 fractional works · 0.5% of its workRadiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging: 26 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPathology and Forensic Medicine: 26 fractional works · 0.4% of its workHematology: 24 fractional works · 0.4% of its workObstetrics and Gynecology: 24 fractional works · 0.4% of its workEmergency Medicine: 19 fractional works · 0.3% of its workPharmacology: 18 fractional works · 0.3% of its workNephrology: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workOphthalmology: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workGenetics: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCritical Care and Intensive Care Medicine: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workRehabilitation: 12 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 90 fractional works · 1.5% of its workHealth Professions: 199 fractional works · 3.3% of its workGeneral Health Professions: 112 fractional works · 1.9% of its workPhysical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation: 20 fractional works · 0.3% of its workSpeech and Hearing: 16 fractional works · 0.3% of its workEmergency Medical Services: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 37 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNursing: 33 fractional works · 0.6% of its workNutrition and Dietetics: 26 fractional works · 0.4% of its workSmaller subfields together: 7 fractional works · 0.1% of its workDentistry: 17 fractional works · 0.3% of its workVeterinary: 8 fractional works · 0.1% of its workLife Sciences: 679 fractional works · 11.4% of its workBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 267 fractional works · 4.5% of its workMolecular Biology: 129 fractional works · 2.2% of its workGenetics: 78 fractional works · 1.3% of its workCancer Research: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workCell Biology: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 33 fractional works · 0.6% of its workAgricultural and Biological Sciences: 209 fractional works · 3.5% of its workPlant Science: 43 fractional works · 0.7% of its workAquatic Science: 42 fractional works · 0.7% of its workEcology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics: 31 fractional works · 0.5% of its workFood Science: 30 fractional works · 0.5% of its workGeneral Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 20 fractional works · 0.3% of its workAnimal Science and Zoology: 14 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 29 fractional works · 0.5% of its workNeuroscience: 123 fractional works · 2.1% of its workCognitive Neuroscience: 87 fractional works · 1.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 36 fractional works · 0.6% of its workImmunology and Microbiology: 53 fractional works · 0.9% of its workImmunology: 30 fractional works · 0.5% of its workSmaller subfields together: 23 fractional works · 0.4% of its workPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 27 fractional works · 0.5% of its workPharmacology: 13 fractional works · 0.2% of its workSmaller subfields together: 15 fractional works · 0.2% of its workALL ITS WORKIceland5,948fractional works, 2022-now
Life Sciences11%Physical Sciences33%Health Sciences23%Social Sciences32%

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. Engineering5038.5%
    2. Environmental Science4948.3%
    3. Earth and Planetary Sciences2834.8%
    4. Computer Science2824.7%
    5. Physics and Astronomy1222.1%
    6. Materials Science1001.7%
    7. Energy550.9%
    8. Mathematics500.8%
    9. Chemistry470.8%
    10. Chemical Engineering280.5%
  2. Social Sciences1,92832.4%
    1. Social Sciences93715.7%
    2. Psychology3495.9%
    3. Arts and Humanities2834.8%
    4. Business, Management and Accounting1652.8%
    5. Economics, Econometrics and Finance1462.5%
    6. Decision Sciences480.8%
  3. Health Sciences1,37623.1%
    1. Medicine1,12018.8%
    2. Health Professions1993.3%
    3. Nursing330.6%
    4. Dentistry170.3%
    5. Veterinary80.1%
    1. Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology2674.5%
    2. Agricultural and Biological Sciences2093.5%
    3. Neuroscience1232.1%
    4. Immunology and Microbiology530.9%
    5. Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics270.5%
All of science, and how each field's share has moved since 1950: the Science domain explorer

Which keywords describe research in Iceland?

By fractional works in 2022-now, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Climate Change, Epidemiology, Globalization, Sustainability, Mental Health, Arctic, Fisheries Sustainability and Inflammation.

▲ 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. Climate Change398▲ 2.5×100 topics
  2. Epidemiology292▲ 1.23×130 topics
  3. Sustainability196▲ 1.35×88 topics
  4. Globalization185▲ 1.58×95 topics
  5. Mental Health156▲ 1.83×41 topics
  6. Inflammation143◆ 1.13×76 topics
  7. Remote Sensing110▲ 1.52×31 topics
  8. Environmental Impact109◆ 1.08×52 topics
  9. Public Health104▲ 1.20×59 topics
  10. Quality of Life97◆ 1.13×52 topics
  11. Cardiovascular Disease96▲ 1.41×37 topics
  12. Treatment93▲ 1.29×49 topics
  13. Risk Factors87▲ 1.33×36 topics
  14. Depression87▲ 1.66×22 topics
  15. Biodiversity78▲ 1.72×34 topics
  16. Literature72▲ 2.2×37 topics
  17. Meta-Analysis67▲ 1.92×18 topics
  18. Resilience67▲ 2.3×17 topics
  19. Invasive Species66▲ 2.6×20 topics
  20. Religion64▲ 2.3×29 topics
  21. Prevalence63▲ 2.6×14 topics
  22. Arctic62▲ 9.4×4 topics
  23. Fisheries Sustainability60▲ 12×2 topics
  24. Labor Market58▲ 3.5×14 topics
  25. Governance56▲ 2.9×16 topics
  26. Aquaculture51▲ 3.4×8 topics
  27. International Relations49▲ 3.4×17 topics
  28. Hydrology45▲ 5.8×4 topics
  29. Plate Tectonics44▲ 4.9×3 topics
  30. Medieval43▲ 21×3 topics
  31. Financial Crisis41▲ 6.2×12 topics
  32. Holocene40▲ 6.0×3 topics
  33. Freshwater Biodiversity36▲ 9.9×2 topics
  34. Shipping35▲ 12×2 topics
  35. Banking Sector34▲ 43×3 topics
  36. Iceland34▲ 138×1 topic
  37. Socioeconomic Inequality34▲ 69×1 topic
  38. Oil and Gas33▲ 16×2 topics
  39. Maritime Transport33▲ 21×1 topic
  40. Northern Sea Route33▲ 21×1 topic

Which research topics does Iceland publish the most in?

Its largest topics in 2022-now are European Socioeconomic and Political Studies, Arctic and Russian Policy Studies, Fish Ecology and Management Studies.

European Socioeconomic and Political Studies: 34 fractional worksArctic and Russian Policy Studies: 33 fractional worksFish Ecology and Managem…33Fish Ecology and Management Studies: 33 fractional worksGeology and Paleoclimatology Research: 31 fractional worksGeological and Geochemical Analysis: 29 fractional worksearthquake and tectonic …29earthquake and tectonic studies: 29 fractional worksMarine and fisheries research: 27 fractional worksHistorical and Archaeological Studies: 27 fractional worksMicrowave Engineering an…24Microwave Engineering and Waveguides: 24 fractional worksCryospheric studies and observations: 23 fractional worksAquaculture Nutrition and Growth: 22 fractional worksAntenna Design and Analysis: 21 fractional works
Economics and EconometricsSociology and Political ScienceNature and Landscape ConservationAtmospheric Science6 others

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

  1. 1 European Socioeconomic and Political Studies Economics and Econometrics 34 works
  2. 2 Arctic and Russian Policy Studies Sociology and Political Science 33 works
  3. 3 Fish Ecology and Management Studies Nature and Landscape Conservation 33 works
  4. 4 Geology and Paleoclimatology Research Atmospheric Science 31 works
  5. 5 Geological and Geochemical Analysis Geophysics 29 works
  6. 6 earthquake and tectonic studies Geophysics 29 works
  7. 7 Marine and fisheries research Global and Planetary Change 27 works
  8. 8 Historical and Archaeological Studies History 27 works
  9. 9 Microwave Engineering and Waveguides Electrical and Electronic Engineering 24 works
  10. 10 Cryospheric studies and observations Atmospheric Science 23 works
  11. 11 Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth Aquatic Science 22 works
  12. 12 Antenna Design and Analysis Aerospace Engineering 21 works

How many world-class institutions does Iceland 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 #50 of 189 #42 of 203
Elite capacitythe institutions it holds at the top #42 of 204 #37 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.

501st to 1,000th1

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

Which universities in Iceland lead research?

University of Iceland, Reykjavík University and Directorate of Health rank highest in Iceland on research quality in 2022-now.

0%5%10%15%mean 8.47143%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →Reykjavík UniversityUniversity of IcelandUniversity of AkureyriDirectorate of Health
above the meannear itbelow it

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

  1. 1University of IcelandUniversity · Reykjavik · #743 worldwide10.7% top 10% · 2.7k works
  2. 2Reykjavík UniversityUniversity · Reykjavik · #2,239 worldwide13.8% top 10% · 690 works
  3. 3Directorate of HealthGovernment institution · Reykjavik · #7,103 worldwide4.1% top 10% · 610 works
  4. 4University of AkureyriUniversity · Akureyri · #10,102 worldwide7.6% top 10% · 236 works
  5. 5Matís (Iceland)Company · Reykjavik · #20,546 worldwide3.4% top 10% · 84 works
  6. 6Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic StudiesUniversity · Reykjavik · #21,183 worldwide8.9% top 10% · 70 works
  7. 7Marine and Freshwater Research InstituteResearch facility · Hafnarfjordur · #21,713 worldwide10.8% top 10% · 74 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 Iceland

Who are the top researchers in Iceland?

Unnur Arna Thorsteinsdottir, Kāri Stefánsson and Augustine Kong rank highest among researchers based in Iceland.

  1. 1 Unnur Arna Thorsteinsdottir #13 worldwide 144k citations · 597 works
  2. 2 Kāri Stefánsson #43 worldwide 211k citations · 1,140 works
  3. 3 Augustine Kong #84 worldwide 97k citations · 293 works
  4. 4 Guðmar Þorleifsson #122 worldwide 120k citations · 579 works
  5. 5 Daniel Fannar Gudbjartsson #133 worldwide 88k citations · 524 works
  6. 6 Patrick Sulem #860 worldwide 56k citations · 378 works
  7. 7 Hreinn Stefánsson #1,420 worldwide 93k citations · 470 works
  8. 8 Hilma Hólm #1,717 worldwide 35k citations · 260 works
  9. 9 Sólveig Grétarsdóttir #2,210 worldwide 28k citations · 123 works
  10. 10 Stacy Steinberg #2,850 worldwide 60k citations · 153 works
Top researchers in Iceland

Which cities in Iceland are research hubs?

  1. 1 ReykjavikIceland 22k works

How open and international is Iceland's research?

46% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 42% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available45.5%not open54.5%

World: 40% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors42.3%domestic only57.7%

World: 18% is written across borders.

In 2022-now, 68% of its research is openly available (world 63%) and 49% is written with co-authors abroad (world 22%). Against what its own mix of topics predicts, that is 1.06× the expected open access and 2.04× the expected international share, which puts it #85 of 173 countries on openness.

How has Iceland's research grown?

Output in 2022-2025 was 11% higher 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 Iceland as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.023% in 2024.

still counting0.010%0.020%0.030%Iceland0.023% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Iceland 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, 11.8% of its 25k works since 1950 reached the world top 10% for their field and year.

still counting10%20%Iceland10.3% 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 16.6% in 2010.

Which countries have research most like Iceland's?

Norway is Iceland's closest research twin: of all countries, its research is spread across the fields most like Iceland's, with both strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences.

  1. 1 NorwayBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Psychology, Environmental Science 0.74 Compare
  2. 2 BahamasBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Arts and Humanities 0.72 Compare
  3. 3 GreenlandBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Health Professions 0.64 Compare
  4. 4 AustraliaBoth strong in Psychology, Neuroscience, Health Professions 0.64 Compare
  5. 5 Faroe IslandsBoth strong in Earth and Planetary Sciences, Environmental Science, Psychology 0.63 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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Iceland on Science Explorer

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Research fields in Iceland

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