Clarivate announces Highly Cited Researchers 2025 List
Clarivate has released the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list. This annual list recognises researchers whose contributions have demonstrated broad and significant influence in their fields.
Analysts from the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) at Clarivate recognised 6,868 individuals with 7,131 awards from more than 1,300 institutions in 60 countries and regions. The evaluation and selection process draws on data from the Web of Science Core Collection, and uses quantitative metrics and qualitative analysis to identify individuals whose work has had a genuine, global influence on their fields.
The list offers insights into the global landscape of research talent and identifies trends across countries, regions and institutions. The United States is the world leader, while Mainland China and the United Kingdom maintain their respective second and third positions on the list.
Bar Veinstein, President of Academia & Government at Clarivate, said: “We celebrate the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 for advancing innovation and inspiring the global research community to tackle society’s greatest challenges with creativity and ingenuity. As research environments become more complex, we are committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity by continuing to strengthen the foundations of our Highly Cited Researchers program.”
The list shows:
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The U.S. leads globally with 2,670 awards, making up 37% of the global total – a small increase from last year that reverses a previous downward trend.
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One in five awards is designated to researchers based in mainland China. It holds second place with 1,406 awards (20%), showing growth in absolute numbers but a slight decrease in world share. Among all institutions globally, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) is the top institution with 258 awards.
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The U.K. ranks third with 570 awards (8%), followed by Germany (363), Australia (312), and Canada (227).
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Switzerland returns to the top 10, while Hong Kong SAR continues to grow its number of awards, rising from 134 in 2024 to 145 this year, claiming a 2% share of the global total.
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This year’s Highly Cited Researchers work in 60 countries and regions, yet 86% of awards are concentrated in just 10 of them − and 75% in the first five.
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Among the 3,562 researcher awards* in the 21 Essential Science Indicators (ESI) fields, 227 individuals appear in two or more ESI fields and 31 appear in three or more fields. This year, there are 3,569 recipients of cross-field awards.
At a time when the credibility of scientific literature faces growing scrutiny, Clarivate says the Highly Cited Researchers program has evolved to integrate robust checks. In 2025, the program added additional layers of scrutiny, ensuring that the list meets the needs of the community by honouring individual achievement for broad and significant influence while reinforcing the values that underpin meaningful and responsible research.
The full Highly Cited Researchers 2025 list, analysis and evaluation and selection policy are available here.