Domain · Social Sciences · Belgium
Social Sciences research in Belgium
KU Leuven ranks first in Belgium for Social Sciences research in 2022–2025 (#86 worldwide), followed by Ghent University and University of Antwerp.
- Belgium's world rank
- #33 of 164 countries, 2022–2025
- Works, 2022–2025
- 27k
- Top-10% rate
- 21.8%
- Ranked institutions
- 42
Research strength only: this says nothing about teaching, admissions or cost.
What is the best university for Social Sciences in Belgium?
| # | Institution | World rank | Score | Top-10% rate | Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KU LeuvenLeuven | #86 | 51.9 | 26.8% | 4,592 |
| 2 | Ghent UniversityGhent | #165 | 44.9 | 30.5% | 2,503 |
| 3 | University of AntwerpAntwerp | #422 | 34.7 | 30.2% | 1,877 |
| 4 | Vrije Universiteit BrusselBrussels | #428 | 34.6 | 29.5% | 1,703 |
| 5 | Université Libre de BruxellesBrussels | #519 | 32.5 | 22.4% | 1,590 |
| 6 | Ghent University HospitalGhent | #526 | 32.3 | 24.8% | 1,226 |
| 7 | UCLouvainLouvain-la-Neuve | #745 | 28.6 | 20.0% | 1,737 |
| 8 | University of LiègeLiège | #768 | 28.3 | 14.7% | 1,608 |
| 9 | European CommissionBrussels | #1,214 | 23.3 | 31.5% | 353 |
| 10 | Hasselt UniversityHasselt | #1,578 | 20.5 | 33.4% | 369 |
| 11 | University of MonsMons | #1,828 | 18.9 | 4.8% | 1,120 |
| 12 | UCLouvain Saint-Louis BrusselsBrussels | #2,652 | 14.9 | 12.9% | 466 |
| 13 | Directorate-General for InterpretationBrussels | #2,798 | 14.3 | 9.5% | 407 |
| 14 | Fund for Scientific ResearchBrussels | #3,008 | 13.5 | 38.8% | 117 |
| 15 | European Corporate Governance InstituteBrussels | #3,206 | 12.8 | 11.8% | 441 |
| 16 | HOGENT University of Applied Sciences and ArtsGhent | #3,321 | 12.4 | 33.2% | 165 |
| 17 | University of NamurNamur | #3,386 | 12.2 | 16.6% | 350 |
| 18 | European UnionBrussels | #3,530 | 11.8 | 12.4% | 278 |
| 19 | Research Foundation - FlandersBrussels | #3,779 | 11.1 | 37.2% | 112 |
| 20 | Evangelical Theological FacultyLeuven | #3,816 | 10.9 | 14.3% | 104 |
| 21 | Antwerp Management SchoolAntwerp | #5,456 | 7.1 | 29.0% | 106 |
| 22 | Solvay (Belgium)Brussels | #5,604 | 6.8 | 30.0% | 71 |
| 23 | BruegelBrussels | #5,865 | 6.3 | 20.1% | 135 |
| 24 | College of EuropeBruges | #5,904 | 6.2 | 33.2% | 82 |
| 25 | IMECLeuven | #5,945 | 6.2 | 38.7% | 64 |
| 26 | Centre for European Policy StudiesBrussels | #6,236 | 5.7 | 25.3% | 84 |
| 27 | Province of AntwerpAntwerp | #6,321 | 5.5 | 23.1% | 82 |
| 28 | IS practiceBrussels | #6,538 | 5.1 | 6.7% | 207 |
| 29 | European CouncilBrussels | #6,679 | 4.9 | 20.0% | 81 |
| 30 | Vlerick Business SchoolGhent | #6,786 | 4.7 | 29.9% | 86 |
| 31 | Flanders Make (Belgium)Lommel | #6,807 | 4.7 | 24.8% | 93 |
| 32 | Directorate-General Joint Research CentreBrussels | #7,562 | 3.6 | 5.0% | 98 |
| 33 | European Union of Medical SpecialistsBrussels | #7,680 | 3.4 | 2.6% | 475 |
| 34 | Health Information ManagementBrussels | #7,894 | 3.1 | 17.4% | 76 |
| 35 | Statistics BelgiumBrussels | #8,099 | 2.8 | 18.4% | 82 |
| 36 | Sciensano (Belgium)Brussels | #8,168 | 2.7 | 20.2% | 61 |
| 37 | European Trade Union InstituteBrussels | #8,192 | 2.7 | 19.6% | 70 |
| 38 | European ParliamentBrussels | #8,193 | 2.7 | 16.6% | 94 |
| 39 | École Pratique des Hautes Études CommercialesBrussels | #9,313 | 132.0 | 0.9% | 235 |
| 40 | International Zinc AssociationBrussels | #9,524 | 108.0 | 8.2% | 68 |
| 41 | Union des Industries Ferroviaires EuropéennesBrussels | #9,794 | 77.0 | 3.0% | 144 |
| 42 | Directorate-General for Taxation and Customs UnionBrussels | #9,995 | 55.0 | 2.1% | 144 |
Institutions in Belgium above the floor of 40 fractional works in Social Sciences, ordered by their worldwide rank on research quality, 2022–2025.
Who are the top Social Sciences researchers in Belgium?
Maarten Vansteenkiste, Jan Blommaert and Filip Dochy rank highest among researchers based in Belgium.
- 1Maarten Vansteenkiste#7,100 worldwide overall1.6k citations · 105 works
- 2Jan Blommaert#22,954 worldwide overall618 citations · 130 works
- 3Filip Dochy#49,583 worldwide overall619 citations · 110 works
- 4André Sapir#50,578 worldwide overall408 citations · 114 works
- 5Martin Euwema#59,305 worldwide overall568 citations · 114 works
- 6Jacques‐François Thisse#61,874 worldwide overall753 citations · 135 works
- 7Jacques Dréze#80,912 worldwide overall625 citations · 125 works
- 8Dirk Jacobs#83,737 worldwide overall176 citations · 122 works
- 9Dirk Geeraerts#144,175 worldwide overall231 citations · 112 works
- 10Jeroen Huisman#144,673 worldwide overall248 citations · 111 works
- 11Marc Boone#164,749 worldwide overall46 citations · 122 works
- 12Jan Wouters#176,741 worldwide overall333 citations · 218 works
- 13Hans De Witte#185,487 worldwide overall986 citations · 188 works
- 14François Ost#192,602 worldwide overall42 citations · 130 works
- 15Dirk Czarnitzki#213,613 worldwide overall443 citations · 108 works
How Belgium compares with other countries in Social Sciences