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Country insights2026-10-279 min read

France field strengths in the Top 2% Scientists list 2026: Clinical Medicine leads with 2,119

Live Directory analytics: Clinical Medicine lists 2,119 France Top 2% scientists in the 2026 single-year profile — 35.8% of the France cohort, ahead of Physics & Astronomy (838).

By ABS Nexora

What are France’s strongest fields on the Top 2% Scientists list?

Direct answer: In the France country profile (single-year 2026), Clinical Medicine is the largest field with 2,119 listed Top 2% scientists — 35.8% of the France list (5,911). Physics & Astronomy is second with 838. The next fields are Biomedical Research (533), Chemistry (344), and Engineering (318).

France top fields (single-year 2026)

FieldListed scholarsShare of France list
Clinical Medicine2,11935.8%
Physics & Astronomy83814.2%
Biomedical Research5339.0%
Chemistry3445.8%
Engineering3185.4%
Biology2864.8%
Earth & Environmental Sciences2714.6%
Enabling & Strategic Technologies2624.4%

Stat sentence: 2,119 of 5,911 France-listed scholars are in Clinical Medicine; 838 are in Physics & Astronomy.

The country’s #1 scholar does sit in the volume field. Bray, Freddie Ian is listed under Clinical Medicine / Oncology & Carcinogenesis. The Oncology & Carcinogenesis subfield has 258 scholars, the largest subfield; Neurology & Neurosurgery has 252. Physics is the distinctive national second — larger than Italy’s Physics slice share would suggest on a smaller national list.

France vs Italy vs Canada vs Germany — Clinical-led, physics-second

FieldFranceItalyCanadaGermanyUnited States
Clinical Medicine2,1193,7103,1343,76728,396
Physics & Astronomy8387724481,5345,829
Biomedical Research5335116301,0097,177
Chemistry344540—712—
Engineering3187815824973,516
National total5,911 (2.39%)8,537 (3.45%)8,510 (3.44%)10,933 (4.42%)73,459 (29.7%)

France’s country profile is Clinical-led, like Italy, Canada, Germany, and the United States. France’s Physics slice (838) is larger than Italy’s (772) and Canada’s (448) even though France’s whole list is smaller. See the Italy field-strengths cluster and the Canada field-strengths cluster.

France subfields inside the oncology / physics / microbiology core

SubfieldListed scholars
Oncology & Carcinogenesis258
Neurology & Neurosurgery252
Applied Physics217
Microbiology210
Nuclear & Particle Physics176
Immunology162
Geochemistry & Geophysics155
Cardiovascular System & Hematology150

Oncology & Carcinogenesis (258) is the largest subfield and holds Bray and Robert. Applied Physics (217) and Nuclear & Particle Physics (176) sit under the Physics main-field story.

Single-year vs career field counts

Career France stays Clinical-led (2,420 of 7,612), with Physics still second (1,105). The career file is larger than single-year — do not mix listings. Use how to find, verify, and cite before combining the two files in one sentence.

Where those field strengths sit on campus

France cluster and related Directory pages

FAQ

How many France Top 2% scientists are in Clinical Medicine? 2,119 in the 2026 single-year France profile — re-verified on the live top_fields panel.

Is Physics & Astronomy still second? Yes. 838 listed scholars.

Does Italy beat France in Clinical Medicine here? Yes on raw count. Italy’s Clinical slice is 3,710. France’s whole list is 5,911.

Which France subfield is largest? Oncology & Carcinogenesis, 258, ahead of Neurology & Neurosurgery (252).

Do career listings change the story? Career France Clinical is 2,420 of 7,612. The career file is larger and still Clinical-led, with Physics second. Do not mix listings.

Where can I verify these field counts? France analytics, Analytics, and the France hub post. Source: Elsevier / Stanford–Ioannidis lists via ABS Nexora.