Belgium in the Top 2% Scientists list 2026: 2,180 scholars, fields, and institutions
Live ABS Nexora analytics: Belgium lists 2,180 Top 2% scientists in the 2026 single-year cohort (~0.88% of the SY analytics total), led by Clinical Medicine (809) and Universiteit Gent (382).
How many Top 2% scientists are from Belgium?
Direct answer: ABS Nexora’s latest single-year country profile for Belgium (bel) lists 2,180 Top 2% scientists for selected year 2026 — about 0.88% of the Directory’s single-year country-analytics cohort (~247,376 researchers). Average citations in this snapshot are about 1,313, with average h-index near 14.3, across 230 distinct institutions.
Belgium’s cohort is led by Universiteit Gent and KU Leuven, with Clinical Medicine as the largest field and a compact but citation-strong national research system.
Low Countries: Netherlands and France.
Who are the top 10 Top 2% scientists in Belgium?
Direct answer: In ABS Nexora’s Belgium country profile (bel, single-year 2026), the top 10 listed scholars by Directory ranking start with Vincent, Jean Louis (Université Libre de Bruxelles; Clinical Medicine; global rank 185; ~11,997 citations). The table below uses # in country for order within this national list and Global rank for the scholar’s overall rank_all in the single-year listing.
| # in country | Researcher | Institution | Field | Global rank | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vincent, Jean Louis | Université Libre de Bruxelles | Clinical Medicine | 185 | 11,997 |
| 2 | Carmeliet, Peter F.M. | KU Leuven | Clinical Medicine | 258 | 7,756 |
| 3 | Cani, Patrice D. | UCLouvain | Clinical Medicine | 295 | 8,893 |
| 4 | Rosseel, Yves | Universiteit Gent | Social Sciences | 343 | 5,042 |
| 5 | Rousseeuw, Peter J. | KU Leuven | Mathematics & Statistics | 470 | 4,189 |
| 6 | Brysbaert, Marc | Universiteit Gent | Psychology & Cognitive Sciences | 611 | 3,555 |
| 7 | Binnemans, Koen | KU Leuven | Chemistry | 665 | 3,769 |
| 8 | Van der Bruggen, Bart | KU Leuven | Engineering | 856 | 7,286 |
| 9 | Bogaerts, Annemie A.M.B. | Universiteit Antwerpen | Physics & Astronomy | 1,624 | 5,820 |
| 10 | Scheen, J. Jacques | Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liege | Clinical Medicine | 1,684 | 2,714 |
Open any linked name for the full Directory scholar profile. Country order follows the live top_researchers panel on Belgium analytics.
What are Belgium’s strongest fields?
Belgium’s largest Top 2% field cohort is Clinical Medicine with 809 listed scholars. The next fields in the live profile are:
| Field | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| Clinical Medicine | 809 |
| Biomedical Research | 199 |
| Physics & Astronomy | 164 |
| Enabling & Strategic Technologies | 139 |
| Engineering | 122 |
Which institutions lead in Belgium?
The largest institutional cohort in the Belgium profile is Universiteit Gent (382 listed scholars). Other leading affiliations:
| Institution | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| Universiteit Gent | 382 |
| KU Leuven | 370 |
| UCLouvain | 135 |
| Universiteit Antwerpen | 115 |
| Université Libre de Bruxelles | 102 |
How has Belgium’s Top 2% cohort changed from 2020 to 2026?
In the country-profile timeline, Belgium moved from 1,503 listed scholars (2020) to 2,180 (2026) — a change of 677 (~+45%).
| Edition year | Listed scholars |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1,503 |
| 2021 | 1,780 |
| 2022 | 1,872 |
| 2023 | 1,934 |
| 2024 | 2,006 |
| 2025 | 2,124 |
| 2026 | 2,180 |
Snapshot metrics (single-year 2026)
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Listed scholars | 2,180 |
| Share of global (SY analytics) | 0.88% |
| Avg. citations | 1,313 |
| Avg. h-index | 14.3 |
| Best rank (in profile) | 185 |
| Distinct institutions | 230 |
| Leading field | Clinical Medicine (809) |
One highly ranked profile example in this snapshot: Vincent, Jean Louis (Université Libre de Bruxelles; Clinical Medicine). Rankings shift with listing type and year — always verify on the live Directory.
Explore Belgium on ABS Nexora
- Belgium country analytics
- Directory search (filter by country / institution)
- Full analytics dashboard
- 2026 edition explained
- How to read country counts
Related country insights
- Netherlands Top 2% directory 2026
- France Top 2% directory 2026
- Germany Top 2% directory 2026
- How to read country counts
FAQ
How many Top 2% scientists does Belgium have in 2026? 2,180 listed scholars in ABS Nexora’s single-year country profile for selected year 2026.
What share of the global list is that? About 0.88% of the single-year country-analytics cohort (~247,376 researchers in the matching dashboard snapshot).
Which field is strongest in Belgium? Clinical Medicine, with 809 listed scholars in the live profile.
Which institution has the most listed scholars? Universiteit Gent, with 382 in this snapshot (affiliation coding follows the underlying dataset).
Did Belgium grow between 2020 and 2026? Yes — from 1,503 to 2,180 listed scholars (~+45%) in the country timeline.
Who ranks highest among Belgium’s Top 2% scientists? In this snapshot, Vincent, Jean Louis leads the country top_researchers list (see the top-10 table above for linked profiles).
Where can I verify these figures? Open the live Belgium country page or Analytics on ABS Nexora; numbers refresh with the Directory database. Data source: Elsevier / Stanford–Ioannidis World’s Top 2% Scientists lists via ABS Nexora.