Iranian Researchers Climb World’s Top 2% List
WANA (Sep 21) – The latest international data show that the presence of Iranian researchers among the top 2% of scientists worldwide, based on standardized citation metrics, continues to rise—a sign of the improving quality and impact of the country’s scientific output.
Dr. Peyman Salehi, Deputy for Research at the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, told the ministry’s public relations office that the Updated Science-wide Author Databases of Standardized Citation Indicators, which publishes revised rankings of scientists, reported an unprecedented growth in Iran’s performance in both single-year and career-long citation metrics in its eighth edition on September 19, 2025.
Growth in Single-Year Performance
Salehi said that the number of highly cited Iranian researchers based on single-year performance increased from 2,326 in 2024 to 2,533 in 2025, reflecting a rise of 207 researchers over one year. “This growth demonstrates the increasing quality and impact of Iranian scientific output in 2024,” he noted.
Growth in Career-Long Performance
The number of highly cited Iranian researchers based on career-long performance also rose significantly, from 1,018 in 2024 to 1,201 in 2025. Examining the five-year trend, Iran has grown from 433 researchers in 2020 to this record figure, nearly tripling its presence in the global ranking.
About the Metrics
Salehi explained that the career-long metric evaluates a researcher’s cumulative scientific impact, including total citations, h-index, and contribution to co-authored papers up to the end of 2024. The single-year metric focuses on citations received within a specific calendar year, highlighting the researcher’s current influence and ability to produce new knowledge.
Database Details
The ranking database relies on Scopus data and standardized bibliometric indicators, providing detailed information on citations, h-index, combined scores (c-score), and authorship positions.
Significance for Iran
Salehi emphasized that these achievements come despite budget constraints, scientific sanctions, and infrastructure challenges, signaling that Iran’s scientific capacity is consolidating its position on the international stage. He called for sustained investment in fundamental research, support for top researchers, and regular updates to researcher profiles to maintain this momentum.
“This success strengthens Iran’s position in the global science and technology map and paves the way for increasing the influence of Iranian researchers and moving toward scientific leadership in the coming years,” Salehi concluded.
Iranian Researchers Climb World’s Top 2% List. Social media/ WANA News Agency
