Subfield · Philosophy · Germany
Philosophy research in Germany
Ruhr University Bochum ranks first in Germany for Philosophy research in 2022–2025 (#33 worldwide), followed by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München and Heidelberg University.
- Germany's world rank
- #4 of 49 countries, 2022–2025
- Works, 2022–2025
- 5.3k
- Top-10% rate
- 14.1%
- Ranked institutions
- 20
Research strength only: this says nothing about teaching, admissions or cost.
What is the best university for Philosophy in Germany?
| # | Institution | World rank | Score | Top-10% rate | Works |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ruhr University BochumBochum | #33 | 38.3 | 20.7% | 120 |
| 2 | Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität MünchenMunich | #45 | 32.9 | 13.8% | 184 |
| 3 | Heidelberg UniversityHeidelberg | #65 | 26.4 | 21.5% | 100 |
| 4 | University of CologneCologne | #76 | 23.6 | 14.6% | 113 |
| 5 | Goethe University FrankfurtFrankfurt am Main | #82 | 22.3 | 16.7% | 122 |
| 6 | Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinBerlin | #83 | 22.1 | 18.4% | 124 |
| 7 | Universität HamburgHamburg | #88 | 21.0 | 15.1% | 122 |
| 8 | Johannes Gutenberg University MainzMainz | #109 | 17.3 | 17.6% | 82 |
| 9 | University of TübingenTübingen | #110 | 17.1 | 16.2% | 123 |
| 10 | Freie Universität BerlinBerlin | #134 | 13.6 | 13.7% | 135 |
| 11 | Bielefeld UniversityBielefeld | #146 | 12.1 | 18.6% | 73 |
| 12 | University of BonnBonn | #158 | 10.7 | 20.8% | 87 |
| 13 | University of FreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau | #175 | 8.9 | 11.4% | 108 |
| 14 | University of PotsdamPotsdam | #182 | 8.2 | 18.2% | 81 |
| 15 | Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-NürnbergErlangen | #185 | 7.9 | 16.2% | 69 |
| 16 | Martin Luther University Halle-WittenbergHalle | #215 | 5.3 | 12.7% | 76 |
| 17 | University of MünsterMünster | #220 | 4.9 | 8.7% | 131 |
| 18 | Leipzig UniversityLeipzig | #235 | 3.7 | 14.5% | 66 |
| 19 | University of WuppertalWuppertal | #248 | 2.8 | 13.4% | 62 |
| 20 | Heinrich Heine University DüsseldorfDüsseldorf | #257 | 2.1 | 9.6% | 70 |
Institutions in Germany above the floor of 40 fractional works in Philosophy, ordered by their worldwide rank on research quality, 2022–2025.
Who are the top Philosophy researchers in Germany?
Niklas Luhmann, Thomas Nagel and Axel Honneth rank highest among researchers based in Germany.
- 1Niklas Luhmann#53 worldwide overall2.3k citations · 8 works
- 2Thomas Nagel#992 worldwide overall1.8k citations · 11 works
- 3Axel Honneth#1,014 worldwide overall1k citations · 7 works
- 4Hans‐Georg Gadamer#9,009 worldwide overall283 citations · 25 works
- 5Peter Adamson#26,310 worldwide overall197 citations · 32 works
- 6Jan Assmann#37,735 worldwide overall158 citations · 13 works
- 7Günther Ortmann#38,078 worldwide overall136 citations · 8 works
- 8Mark Juergensmeyer#40,022 worldwide overall195 citations · 8 works
- 9Aleida Assmann#40,573 worldwide overall110 citations · 24 works
- 10Dieter Schönecker#45,406 worldwide overall101 citations · 18 works
- 11Henry Görtler#45,441 worldwide overall236 citations · 7 works
- 12Jo Reichertz#50,018 worldwide overall217 citations · 10 works
- 13H. H. Kornhuber#52,552 worldwide overall303 citations · 8 works
- 14Michael Winkler#54,074 worldwide overall76 citations · 13 works
- 15Karl‐Otto Apel#57,477 worldwide overall147 citations · 7 works