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Science in Iran

Iran ranks #16 of 192 countries on research quality in 2022–2025 (#21 all time), with 268k research works and 16.3% of them in the world's top 10%.

World rank, 2022–2025
#16
of 192 · #21 all time
Works, 2022–2025
268k
▲ 28% vs 2013–17
Top-10% rate
16.3%
record average 16.5%
In the world top 100
0
10 in the top 1,000
Open access
46%
world 63%

What is Iran strongest at in science?

On research quality in 2022–2025, Iran ranks highest in Biomaterials (#4 of 51), Engineering (#12 of 134) and Mechanical Engineering (#7 of 76). Relative to its size it is most specialised in Research and Theory, Molecular Medicine and Filtration and Separation.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorks
BiomaterialsSubfield #4 of 51 23.0%3,049 Institutions
EngineeringField #12 of 134 17.5%49,169 Institutions
Mechanical EngineeringSubfield #7 of 76 18.6%6,873 Institutions
NursingField #6 of 65 18.4%2,408 Institutions
Food ScienceSubfield #7 of 73 24.3%2,840 Institutions
Civil and Structural EngineeringSubfield #7 of 73 16.4%5,809 Institutions
Water Science and TechnologySubfield #6 of 62 18.4%2,578 Institutions
Health ProfessionsField #11 of 108 16.0%7,040 Institutions
Environmental ScienceField #15 of 125 19.0%13,316 Institutions
MedicineField #19 of 155 13.5%59,685 Institutions
ChemistryField #9 of 73 16.3%7,884 Institutions
Mechanics of MaterialsSubfield #8 of 64 16.2%2,857 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. Research and TheorySubfield · 237.9 works3.4×
  2. Molecular MedicineSubfield · 976.3 works3.4×
  3. Filtration and SeparationSubfield · 98.0 works3.3×
  4. Leadership and ManagementSubfield · 137.4 works3.3×
  5. BiomaterialsSubfield · 3,048.5 works2.7×
  6. Algebra and Number TheorySubfield · 451.1 works2.6×
  7. Oral SurgerySubfield · 1,272.6 works2.5×
  8. Analytical ChemistrySubfield · 1,270.4 works2.5×
← 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: 1.14× its world share, 15k worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 1.21× its world share, 17k worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.30× its world share, 3,499 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 1.13× its world share, 4,897 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.70× its world share, 1,604 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.56× its world share, 1,460 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.88× its world share, 7,884 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.61× its world share, 13k worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.62× its world share, 2,585 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 1.53× its world share, 3,778 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.22× its world share, 49k worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.00× its world share, 13k worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 1.54× its world share, 14k worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.31× its world share, 4,143 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.83× its world share, 4,922 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 2.33× its world share, 3,023 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.00× its world share, 7,040 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 1.16× its world share, 60k worksMedicineNursing: 1.84× its world share, 2,408 worksNursingVeterinary: 1.20× its world share, 437 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.41× its world share, 3,159 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 0.61× its world share, 5,302 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.05× its world share, 2,707 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.53× its world share, 3,020 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.49× its world share, 12k worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.38× its world share, 13k worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Dentistry, 2.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Which keywords describe research in Iran?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Biomedical Applications, Inflammation, Nanoparticles, Depression, Nanomaterials, Oxidative Stress and Quality of Life.

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

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 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. Epidemiology14k▲ 1.27×139 topics
  2. Inflammation8,448▲ 1.52×83 topics
  3. Machine Learning6,970▼ 0.80×97 topics
  4. Biomedical Applications6,922▲ 2.2×36 topics
  5. Nanoparticles6,881▲ 2.0×44 topics
  6. Oxidative Stress6,861▲ 1.57×63 topics
  7. Quality of Life6,495▲ 1.68×61 topics
  8. Cancer6,310▲ 1.76×59 topics
  9. Mental Health6,236▲ 1.59×48 topics
  10. Deep Learning6,130▼ 0.67×85 topics
  11. Depression6,010▲ 2.5×26 topics
  12. Nanomaterials5,855▲ 2.1×21 topics
  13. Climate Change5,837▼ 0.81×128 topics
  14. Cardiovascular Disease4,762▲ 1.60×39 topics
  15. Environmental Impact4,688◆ 1.03×73 topics
  16. Antioxidant4,658▲ 2.5×51 topics
  17. Renewable Energy4,605▲ 1.19×61 topics
  18. Nanocomposites4,536▲ 2.1×22 topics
  19. Drug Delivery4,510▲ 3.1×16 topics
  20. Tissue Engineering4,196▲ 2.6×13 topics
  21. Mechanical Properties4,137▲ 1.59×39 topics
  22. Graphene4,129▲ 2.2×12 topics
  23. COVID-194,096◆ 1.12×34 topics
  24. Social Support3,968▲ 2.7×20 topics
  25. Metabolic Syndrome3,770▲ 1.73×24 topics
  26. Treatment3,645◆ 1.12×52 topics
  27. Catalysis3,633▲ 2.0×29 topics
  28. Pandemic3,562▲ 1.24×14 topics
  29. Stress3,247▲ 3.3×11 topics
  30. Self-Efficacy3,077▲ 4.3×11 topics
  31. Toxicity3,017▲ 2.6×20 topics
  32. Obesity2,981▲ 1.47×29 topics
  33. Antioxidant Activity2,881▲ 1.70×32 topics
  34. Cancer Therapy2,850▲ 1.87×20 topics
  35. Anxiety2,535▲ 2.0×12 topics
  36. Carbon Nanotubes2,349▲ 2.6×9 topics
  37. Elderly2,162▲ 3.2×8 topics
  38. Nursing2,003▲ 4.0×8 topics
  39. Educational Achievement1,777▲ 11×1 topic
  40. Job Stress1,777▲ 11×1 topic

How many world-class institutions does Iran 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.

101st to 500th1501st to 1,000th9

Bands are exclusive, so the squares add up to 10 — the institutions it holds in the world top 1,000 — and not to four times it.

Which universities in Iran lead research?

University of Tehran, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Iran University of Science and Technology rank highest in Iran on research quality in 2022–2025.

0%10%20%30%mean 18.22%fractional works (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Tehran: 12k, 20.6%Tehran University of Medical Sciences: 9,407, 15.9%Iran University of Science and Technology: 5,632, 24.3%Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences: 7,131, 14.4%University of Tabriz: 4,881, 19.1%Shiraz University of Medical Sciences: 5,351, 16.2%Tabriz University of Medical Sciences: 4,604, 19.4%Tarbiat Modares University: 6,028, 19.6%Amirkabir University of Technology: 5,168, 19.8%Mashhad University of Medical Sciences: 4,800, 17.2%Iran University of Medical Sciences: 5,430, 14.9%Shahid Beheshti University: 4,873, 17.9%Urmia University: 3,212, 17.6%Shiraz University: 4,227, 18.3%Ferdowsi University of Mashhad: 4,474, 18.1%Iran University of S…University of TehranTehran University of…Shahid Beheshti Univ…
above the meannear itbelow it

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

  1. 1University of TehranUniversity · Tehran · #301 worldwide20.6% top 10% · 12k works
  2. 2Tehran University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Tehran · #536 worldwide15.9% top 10% · 9.4k works
  3. 3Iran University of Science and TechnologyUniversity · Tehran · #596 worldwide24.3% top 10% · 5.6k works
  4. 4Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Tehran · #796 worldwide14.4% top 10% · 7.1k works
  5. 5University of TabrizUniversity · Tabriz · #799 worldwide19.1% top 10% · 4.9k works
  6. 6Shiraz University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Shiraz · #808 worldwide16.2% top 10% · 5.4k works
  7. 7Tabriz University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Tabriz · #822 worldwide19.4% top 10% · 4.6k works
  8. 8Tarbiat Modares UniversityUniversity · Tehran · #824 worldwide19.6% top 10% · 6k works
  9. 9Amirkabir University of TechnologyUniversity · Tehran · #866 worldwide19.8% top 10% · 5.2k works
  10. 10Mashhad University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Mashhad · #981 worldwide17.2% top 10% · 4.8k works
  11. 11Iran University of Medical SciencesUniversity · Tehran · #1,138 worldwide14.9% top 10% · 5.4k works
  12. 12Shahid Beheshti UniversityUniversity · Tehran · #1,189 worldwide17.9% top 10% · 4.9k works
  13. 13Urmia UniversityUniversity · Urmia · #1,192 worldwide17.6% top 10% · 3.2k works
  14. 14Shiraz UniversityUniversity · Shiraz · #1,196 worldwide18.3% top 10% · 4.2k works
  15. 15Ferdowsi University of MashhadUniversity · Mashhad · #1,198 worldwide18.1% top 10% · 4.5k works

The track on each row is its top-10% rate; the tick is the world’s rate in this record, 16.5% — teal above it, red below.

All ranked institutions in Iran

Who are the top researchers in Iran?

Reza Malekzadeh, Ali Bijani and Mostafa Qorbani rank highest among researchers based in Iran.

  1. 1 Reza Malekzadeh · #24 worldwide 6.7k citations · 167 works
  2. 2 Ali Bijani · #32 worldwide 5.6k citations · 168 works
  3. 3 Mostafa Qorbani · #41 worldwide 5.9k citations · 166 works
  4. 4 Amirhossein Sahebkar · #123 worldwide 5.6k citations · 243 works
  5. 5 Mohammad Ali Sahraian · #260 worldwide 4.6k citations · 113 works
  6. 6 Mehdi Yaseri · #475 worldwide 3.7k citations · 103 works
  7. 7 Reza Majdzadeh · #540 worldwide 3.7k citations · 100 works
  8. 8 Nizal Sarrafzadegan · #574 worldwide 2.8k citations · 104 works
  9. 9 Mohammad Alì Mansournia · #739 worldwide 4.2k citations · 95 works
  10. 10 Mahmood Moosazadeh · #834 worldwide 1.7k citations · 107 works
Top researchers in Iran

Which cities in Iran are research hubs?

  1. 1 Tehran Iran 503k works
  2. 2 Isfahan Iran 65k works
  3. 3 Tabriz Iran 57k works
  4. 4 Shiraz Iran 53k works
  5. 5 Mashhad Iran 49k works
  6. 6 Kerman Iran 23k works
  7. 7 Ahvāz Iran 20k works
  8. 8 Hamadan Iran 19k works
  9. 9 Rasht Iran 19k works
  10. 10 Kermanshah Iran 18k works

How much of it is in the largest

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

Tehran: 60.9%Isfahan: 7.8%Tabriz: 6.9%Shiraz: 6.4%6 others listed: 17.9%61%largest
Tehran503k · 60.9%Isfahan65k · 7.8%Tabriz57k · 6.9%Shiraz53k · 6.4%6 others listed148k · 17.9%

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

How open and international is Iran's research?

46% of its research is openly available (world: 40%), and 13% is written with international co-authors (world: 18%).

openly available45.8%not open54.2%

World: 63% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors13.5%domestic only86.5%

World: 22% is written across borders.

How has Iran's research grown?

Output in 2018–2022 was 28% higher than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Research fields in Iran