Top 2% scientists by field

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Top 2% Scientists · 2026 edition

Top 2% scientists by field and subfield (2026)

In short: the Top 2% list places every scientist in one of 20 fields and 174 subfields, and the top 2% is counted inside each subfield. Clinical Medicine has the most scientists in the 2026 list; below is every subfield with its count worldwide and from India.

Use this to see how crowded your subfield is at the top, and how many Indian researchers already made it there. The top 2% is a share, so a larger subfield has more places but also more people competing for them.

Jump to: Clinical Medicine · Enabling & Strategic Technologies · Physics & Astronomy · Engineering · Biomedical Research · Information & Communication Technologies · Chemistry · Biology · Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry · Earth & Environmental Sciences · Social Sciences · Public Health & Health Services · Economics & Business · Psychology & Cognitive Sciences · Mathematics & Statistics · Built Environment & Design · Communication & Textual Studies · Historical Studies · Philosophy & Theology · Visual & Performing Arts

Clinical Medicine

33 subfields · 70,428 scientists worldwide · 624 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Neurology & Neurosurgery7,82627
Oncology & Carcinogenesis7,75142
General & Internal Medicine7,413168
Cardiovascular System & Hematology5,10011
Immunology3,6136
Pharmacology & Pharmacy3,462119
Surgery3,02521
Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging2,68210
Gastroenterology & Hepatology2,31327
Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine2,17612
Dentistry2,1049
Endocrinology & Metabolism2,0709
Orthopedics2,02612
Urology & Nephrology1,9729
Psychiatry1,8709
Ophthalmology & Optometry1,78333
Pediatrics1,67130
Respiratory System1,47710
Dermatology & Venereal Diseases1,33112
Anesthesiology1,2184
Otorhinolaryngology1,1280
Arthritis & Rheumatology9432
Emergency & Critical Care Medicine9093
Sport Sciences8521
Tropical Medicine82318
Pathology5352
General Clinical Medicine4991
Allergy4090
Legal & Forensic Medicine3289
Environmental & Occupational Health3201
Complementary & Alternative Medicine2976
Geriatrics2931
Epidemiology2090

Enabling & Strategic Technologies

7 subfields · 24,110 scientists worldwide · 925 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Energy7,825295
Materials6,943375
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology3,67866
Optoelectronics & Photonics3,02356
Biotechnology1,466115
Strategic, Defence & Security Studies67212
Bioinformatics5036

Physics & Astronomy

9 subfields · 20,432 scientists worldwide · 355 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Applied Physics6,852162
Nuclear & Particle Physics3,51974
Chemical Physics2,57544
General Physics1,86521
Optics1,76719
Astronomy & Astrophysics1,6496
Fluids & Plasmas1,24023
Acoustics8205
Mathematical Physics1451

Engineering

12 subfields · 20,033 scientists worldwide · 540 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Mechanical Engineering & Transports3,359166
Electrical & Electronic Engineering2,80681
Industrial Engineering & Automation2,75035
Chemical Engineering2,05484
Geological & Geomatics Engineering1,72440
Biomedical Engineering1,55414
Environmental Engineering1,43926
Civil Engineering1,42724
Aerospace & Aeronautics1,41611
Mining & Metallurgy79048
Operations Research66711
Automobile Design & Engineering470

Biomedical Research

12 subfields · 19,755 scientists worldwide · 139 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Microbiology4,78848
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology4,49715
Developmental Biology3,4264
Virology1,6367
Toxicology1,43831
Nutrition & Dietetics1,2199
Genetics & Heredity8724
Mycology & Parasitology6225
Physiology5522
Biophysics4438
Anatomy & Morphology1756
Microscopy870

Information & Communication Technologies

8 subfields · 18,220 scientists worldwide · 463 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing10,979346
Networking & Telecommunications4,81899
Software Engineering4972
Medical Informatics4631
Computer Hardware & Architecture4367
Computation Theory & Mathematics4343
Information Systems4003
Distributed Computing1932

Chemistry

7 subfields · 16,153 scientists worldwide · 495 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Organic Chemistry3,963107
Analytical Chemistry2,87840
Polymers2,797115
Medicinal & Biomolecular Chemistry2,531116
Inorganic & Nuclear Chemistry1,86675
General Chemistry1,20916
Physical Chemistry90926

Biology

7 subfields · 9,343 scientists worldwide · 172 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Plant Biology & Botany4,226151
Ecology1,7708
Marine Biology & Hydrobiology1,1463
Entomology8607
Evolutionary Biology8090
Zoology4253
Ornithology1070

Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry

7 subfields · 9,249 scientists worldwide · 150 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Food Science2,23574
Agronomy & Agriculture1,97843
Dairy & Animal Science1,63516
Veterinary Sciences1,5070
Fisheries1,00211
Forestry7705
Horticulture1221

Earth & Environmental Sciences

6 subfields · 8,210 scientists worldwide · 140 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Environmental Sciences2,938107
Geochemistry & Geophysics2,26510
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences1,77516
Paleontology5030
Geology3795
Oceanography3502

Social Sciences

15 subfields · 5,757 scientists worldwide · 17 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Education2,4072
Political Science & Public Administration5572
Geography4482
Law3845
Information & Library Sciences3314
Criminology2980
Sociology2931
Social Work2090
International Relations1980
Cultural Studies1840
Social Sciences Methods1180
Science Studies1090
Family Studies860
Demography811
Gender Studies540

Public Health & Health Services

7 subfields · 5,290 scientists worldwide · 12 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Public Health1,6924
Nursing1,5194
Rehabilitation6590
Health Policy & Services4901
Substance Abuse3760
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology2832
Gerontology2711

Economics & Business

12 subfields · 4,668 scientists worldwide · 38 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Business & Management1,40621
Economics1,1293
Logistics & Transportation6715
Finance3384
Marketing3261
Sport, Leisure & Tourism2391
Accounting1461
Agricultural Economics & Policy1401
Development Studies1071
Econometrics760
Industrial Relations530
Economic Theory370

Psychology & Cognitive Sciences

8 subfields · 3,988 scientists worldwide · 2 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Experimental Psychology1,2001
Social Psychology8580
Developmental & Child Psychology6540
Clinical Psychology3971
Behavioral Science & Comparative Psychology3810
Human Factors3370
General Psychology & Cognitive Sciences860
Psychoanalysis750

Mathematics & Statistics

4 subfields · 3,054 scientists worldwide · 38 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
General Mathematics1,65612
Applied Mathematics51610
Statistics & Probability5132
Numerical & Computational Mathematics36914

Built Environment & Design

4 subfields · 1,785 scientists worldwide · 26 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Building & Construction1,17319
Urban & Regional Planning3150
Design Practice & Management2577
Architecture400

Communication & Textual Studies

3 subfields · 1,323 scientists worldwide · 4 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Languages & Linguistics5360
Literary Studies4444
Communication & Media Studies3430

Historical Studies

6 subfields · 1,283 scientists worldwide · 5 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Archaeology4521
History4282
Anthropology2121
Classics761
History of Science, Technology & Medicine660
History of Social Sciences490

Philosophy & Theology

3 subfields · 689 scientists worldwide · 1 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Philosophy3051
Religions & Theology2460
Applied Ethics1380

Visual & Performing Arts

4 subfields · 179 scientists worldwide · 0 from India

SubfieldWorldwideFrom India
Music780
Art Practice, History & Theory560
Drama & Theater290
Folklore160

Counted by ScholarsColab from the 2026 list; each subfield is shown under the field most of its scientists belong to.

Questions people ask

How many fields and subfields does the Top 2% list use?

20 fields and 174 subfields. Every scientist is placed in the subfield where most of their papers belong, and the top 2% is counted inside that subfield.

Is it easier to enter the Top 2% list in a small subfield?

Not necessarily. The top 2% is a share, so a small subfield has fewer places, but also fewer people competing for them. What matters is your c-score against the others in the same subfield.

More on the Top 2% list

Top 2% Scientists guideEverything in one placeHow scientists are selectedWho gets in, and whyHow the c-score is calculatedFormula and calculatorHow to become a Top 2% scientistWhat to focus onThe 2026 listDownload and find your nameIndia’s Top 2% scientistsInstitutions and fieldsTop 2% scientists by research topicTopic pages with the leading scientists

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