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University · Durban · South Africa

University of KwaZulu-Natal

In research, University of KwaZulu-Natal stands highest in Agricultural and Biological Sciences (#124 of 3,409 worldwide), Health Sciences (#537 of 11,982 worldwide) and Social Sciences (#486 of 10,521 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Business and International Management, Virology and Numerical Analysis — Business and International Management is 5.2× its share of world research.

ukzn.ac.zaROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#791
of 28,054 · #871 all time
Rank in South Africa
#8
of 87
Research works
42k
▲ 18% vs 2013–17
Citations
755k
17.8 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
21.6%
record average 16.5%
Open access
46%
world 28%

What is University of KwaZulu-Natal known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Agricultural and Biological SciencesField #124 of 3,409 28.6%566 #135
Health SciencesDomain #537 of 11,982 18.7%1,842 #794
Social SciencesDomain #486 of 10,521 24.2%2,390 #366
MedicineField #486 of 10,443 18.2%1,373 #936
Social SciencesField #370 of 6,365 25.8%1,261 #232
Life SciencesDomain #556 of 7,800 23.8%1,091 #734
Physical SciencesDomain #1,028 of 12,888 20.1%2,205 #1057
Environmental ScienceField #314 of 3,551 20.5%539 #384
EngineeringField #809 of 6,636 16.8%596 #1028
EducationSubfield #250 of 1,892 31.5%328 #264

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where University of KwaZulu-Natal sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Agricultural and Biological Sciences#135 #124
  2. Health Sciences#794 #537
  3. Social Sciences#366 #486
  4. Medicine#936 #486
  5. Social Sciences#232 #370
  6. Life Sciences#734 #556
  7. Physical Sciences#1,057 #1,028
  8. Environmental Science#384 #314
  9. Engineering#1,028 #809
  10. Education#264 #250
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does University of KwaZulu-Natal specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Business and International Management takes 5.2× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Business and International ManagementSubfield · 41.2 works5.2×
  2. VirologySubfield · 21.1 works4.8×
  3. Numerical AnalysisSubfield · 20.8 works3.2×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Agricultural and Biological Sciences: 1.58× its world share, 566 worksAgricultural and Bio…Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.83× its world share, 334 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Immunology and Microbiology: 1.38× its world share, 104 worksImmunology and Micro…Neuroscience: 0.43× its world share, 52 worksNeurosciencePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics: 1.31× its world share, 35 worksPharmacology, Toxico…Chemical Engineering: 1.11× its world share, 29 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 1.77× its world share, 209 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.53× its world share, 308 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 0.53× its world share, 62 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.73× its world share, 50 worksEnergyEngineering: 0.53× its world share, 596 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 1.44× its world share, 539 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 0.56× its world share, 148 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 1.16× its world share, 102 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 0.97× its world share, 163 worksPhysics and AstronomyDentistry: 0.48× its world share, 17 worksDentistryHealth Professions: 1.89× its world share, 374 worksHealth ProfessionsMedicine: 0.95× its world share, 1,374 worksMedicineNursing: 1.84× its world share, 68 worksNursingVeterinary: 0.93× its world share, 10 worksVeterinaryArts and Humanities: 0.64× its world share, 139 worksArts and HumanitiesBusiness, Management and Accounting: 1.55× its world share, 376 worksBusiness, Management…Decision Sciences: 1.15× its world share, 84 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 1.68× its world share, 271 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 1.12× its world share, 258 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 1.32× its world share, 1,261 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Health Professions, 1.9×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at University of KwaZulu-Natal?

Ranked on the composite score, Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson, Yin-Zhe Ma and Matt Hilton lead among researchers whose main affiliation is University of KwaZulu-Natal.

  1. 1 Tivani P. Mashamba-Thompson South Africa · #28,583 worldwide 1.6k citations · 34 works
  2. 2 Yin-Zhe Ma South Africa · #32,210 worldwide 765 citations · 53 works
  3. 3 Matt Hilton South Africa · #40,556 worldwide 584 citations · 95 works
  4. 4 Túlio de Oliveira South Africa · #44,865 worldwide 370 citations · 49 works
  5. 5 Andy Gray South Africa · #45,624 worldwide 206 citations · 36 works
  6. 6 Bill Freund South Africa · #53,836 worldwide 183 citations · 87 works
  7. 7 D. A. H. Taylor South Africa · #55,025 worldwide 232 citations · 52 works
  8. 8 Absalom E. Ezugwu South Africa · #56,570 worldwide 505 citations · 49 works
  9. 9 P. Berjak South Africa · #63,830 worldwide 289 citations · 50 works
  10. 10 Debra Roberts South Africa · #64,626 worldwide 299 citations · 32 works
All ranked researchers at University of KwaZulu-Natal

Which keywords describe research at University of KwaZulu-Natal?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Epidemiology, Climate Change, Antiretroviral Therapy, Sustainability, South Africa, Higher Education, Mental Health and Human Rights.

▲ 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 institution'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. Epidemiology361▲ 1.21×128 topics
  2. Climate Change304▲ 1.50×92 topics
  3. Sustainability233▲ 1.27×80 topics
  4. Mental Health187▲ 1.69×39 topics
  5. Globalization169◆ 1.14×89 topics
  6. Human Rights160▲ 2.1×38 topics
  7. Risk Factors132▲ 1.59×34 topics
  8. Higher Education130▲ 3.2×22 topics
  9. Biodiversity127▲ 2.3×31 topics
  10. Antiretroviral Therapy118▲ 9.6×6 topics
  11. Economic Growth116▲ 1.80×26 topics
  12. Social Capital113▲ 2.8×17 topics
  13. Social Justice108▲ 2.5×35 topics
  14. Invasive Species107▲ 3.3×21 topics
  15. Colonialism103▲ 2.9×19 topics
  16. Global Change89▲ 4.5×6 topics
  17. Maternal Mortality85▲ 5.1×5 topics
  18. South Africa85▲ 41×4 topics
  19. Environmental Governance77▲ 16×4 topics
  20. Poverty Alleviation73▲ 9.8×2 topics
  21. Equality72▲ 16×5 topics
  22. HIV Transmission72▲ 13×2 topics
  23. Habitat Fragmentation71▲ 4.3×5 topics
  24. Public Participation71▲ 42×2 topics
  25. Mortality Rates70▲ 9.8×2 topics
  26. Judicial Review69▲ 10×3 topics
  27. Legal Research69▲ 7.0×2 topics
  28. Constitutionalism68▲ 9.4×1 topic
  29. Developmental Local Government68▲ 82×1 topic
  30. Poverty Reduction66▲ 6.7×6 topics
  31. Community Health Workers62▲ 9.7×2 topics
  32. Viral Load61▲ 10×2 topics
  33. Adolescent Health60▲ 9.4×3 topics
  34. HIV Prevention60▲ 13×2 topics
  35. Sexual Behavior57▲ 21×1 topic
  36. Youth Risk Behavior57▲ 21×1 topic
  37. Preexposure Prophylaxis57▲ 15×1 topic
  38. Stigma and Discrimination57▲ 15×1 topic
  39. Gender-based Violence56▲ 13×3 topics
  40. Child Mortality54▲ 10×1 topic

Which research topics does University of KwaZulu-Natal publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Legal Issues in South Africa, Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions and Global Maternal and Child Health.

Legal Issues in South Af…68Legal Issues in South Africa: 68 fractional worksAdolescent Sexual and Re…57Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health: 57 fractional worksHIV/AIDS Research and In…57HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions: 57 fractional worksGlobal Maternal and Chil…54Global Maternal and Child Health: 54 fractional worksSouth African History and Culture: 42 fractional worksInnovation and Socioeconomic Development: 41 fractional worksEntrepreneurship Studies…41Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences: 41 fractional worksAfrican cultural and philosophical studies: 35 fractional worksPoverty, Education, and Child Welfare: 35 fractional worksChild Nutrition and Wate…34Child Nutrition and Water Access: 34 fractional works
LawGeneral Health ProfessionsInfectious DiseasesPediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health6 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Legal Issues in South Africa Law 68 works
  2. 2 Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health General Health Professions 57 works
  3. 3 HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions Infectious Diseases 57 works
  4. 4 Global Maternal and Child Health Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health 54 works
  5. 5 South African History and Culture Sociology and Political Science 42 works
  6. 6 Innovation and Socioeconomic Development Business and International Management 41 works
  7. 7 Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences Management of Technology and Innovation 41 works
  8. 8 African cultural and philosophical studies Education 35 works
  9. 9 Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare Safety Research 35 works
  10. 10 Child Nutrition and Water Access Nutrition and Dietetics 34 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available45.8%not open54.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors21.0%domestic only79.0%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has University of KwaZulu-Natal's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 18% 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.

Other research institutions in Durban

All research institutions in Durban

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.