2021 tables: Institutions - physical sciences

The 2021 tables are based on Nature Index data from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020.

Table criteria

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# Institution Share 2019 Share 2020 Count 2020 Change in Adjusted Share* 2019–2020
1 University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), South Africa 2.96 4.88 19 53.4%
2 University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa 3.38 4.25 87 17.1%
3 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (Wits University), South Africa 6.55 3.52 84 -50.1%
4 Durban University of Technology (DUT), South Africa 3.38 2.68 12 -26.1%
5 North-West University (NWU), South Africa 2.03 2.47 15 13.3%
6 National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences (NITheCS), South Africa 3.24 1.77 9 -49.1%
7 British University in Egypt (BUE), Egypt 0.98 1.62 24 53.3%
8 University of Johannesburg (UJ), South Africa 2.30 1.06 52 -57.4%
9 Cadi Ayyad University (UCA), Morocco 1.53 1.02 42 -37.9%
10 University of the Western Cape (UWC), South Africa 1.09 0.92 7 -21.5%
11 Cairo University (CU), Egypt 1.28 0.92 24 -33.1%
12 Zewail City of Science and Technology, Egypt 0.00 0.86 17 18245.7%
13 South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), South Africa 1.30 0.83 7 -40.8%
14 University Hassan II Casablanca (UHII), Morocco 0.98 0.77 44 -26.9%
15 Mohammed V University, Morocco 0.20 0.71 47 232.2%
16 Ain Shams University, Egypt 1.87 0.61 12 -69.5%
17 University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC), Benin 0.52 0.50 1 -9.9%
17 Ecole Normale Supérieure de Kouba (ENS-Kouba), Algeria – 0.50 1 N/A
17 National University of Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics (UNSTIM), Benin – 0.50 1 N/A
18 University of Pretoria (UP), South Africa 0.51 0.42 7 -23.4%
19 Stellenbosch University (SU), South Africa 1.09 0.40 6 -66.0%
20 SKA South Africa, South Africa 0.92 0.40 7 -59.9%
21 University Ibn Tofaïl (UIT), Morocco 0.28 0.36 42 19.8%
22 University of Namibia (UNAM), Namibia 0.04 0.36 3 801.9%
23 Egyptian Relativity Group (ERG), Egypt 0.22 0.36 2 51.0%
24 Abdelmalek Essaâdi University (UAE), Morocco 0.17 0.34 2 91.2%
25 Université Larbi Tébessi, Algeria – 0.33 1 N/A
26 Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), South Africa 0.12 0.33 3 156.8%
27 Rhodes University (RU), South Africa 1.59 0.31 6 -81.7%
28 Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa 0.09 0.30 9 216.0%
29 The German University in Cairo (GUC), Egypt – 0.28 2 N/A
30 Benha University, Egypt 0.29 0.25 1 -20.3%
31 Tanta University, Egypt – 0.23 4 N/A
32 Mansoura University, Egypt 0.31 0.23 2 -32.4%
33 American University in Cairo (AUC), Egypt 0.17 0.22 5 16.8%
34 University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa 0.75 0.20 31 -75.0%
35 Ethiopia Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Ethiopia 0.38 0.20 1 -50.4%
35 Université Ibn Zohr, Morocco 0.46 0.20 1 -59.4%
36 Tunis El Manar University (UTM), Tunisia 0.13 0.17 1 23.9%
36 University of Gafsa, Tunisia – 0.17 1 N/A
36 Debre Berhan University (DBU), Ethiopia – 0.17 1 N/A
37 Abdou Moumouni University (UAM), Niger 0.06 0.13 1 85.9%
38 National Research Centre (NRC), Egypt – 0.12 2 N/A
39 University of the Free State (UFS), South Africa 0.01 0.11 4 1095.1%
40 Al-Azhar University, Egypt 0.24 0.10 1 -61.5%
40 University of Rwanda, Rwanda 0.19 0.10 1 -50.4%
40 Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt – 0.10 1 N/A
40 Wolkite University (WKU), Ethiopia – 0.10 1 N/A
40 City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications (SRTA-City), Egypt – 0.10 1 N/A
41 Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), Kenya – 0.10 1 N/A
42 Central Metallurgical Research and Development Institute (CMRDI), Egypt 0.04 0.09 2 121.5%
43 Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique – 0.08 1 N/A
43 University of Kinshasa (UNIKIN), Congo – 0.08 1 N/A
44 International University of Rabat (IUR), Morocco – 0.08 1 N/A
44 African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), South Africa – 0.08 1 N/A
45 Université Mohammed Premier (UMP), Morocco 0.07 0.08 44 2.3%
46 Constantine 1 University, Algeria 0.04 0.06 32 48.2%
47 Assiut University, Egypt 0.45 0.06 5 -87.0%
48 African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS), South Africa 0.01 0.06 3 384.5%
48 Department of Science and Technology (DST), South Africa 0.08 0.06 3 -32.6%
48 Nelson Mandela University (NMU), South Africa 0.08 0.06 3 -32.6%
48 University of Limpopo, South Africa 0.08 0.06 3 -32.6%
48 University of Venda (UNIVEN), South Africa – 0.06 3 N/A
49 University of Khartoum, Sudan – 0.06 1 N/A
50 University Ferhat Abbas of Setif (UFAS), Algeria – 0.06 1 N/A
50 Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), Kenya – 0.06 1 N/A
51 NRF iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator-Based Sciences (IThemba Labs), South Africa 0.49 0.06 46 -89.4%
52 Alexandria University, Egypt 0.05 0.05 1 -7.1%
53 Nile University (NU), Egypt 0.00 0.05 1 1422.6%
53 Nigeria Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST), Nigeria – 0.05 1 N/A
54 South Valley University (SVU), Egypt – 0.04 1 N/A
55 Zagazig University, Egypt 0.06 0.04 2 -40.6%
56 Hassan II Academy of Science and Technology, Morocco – 0.04 1 N/A
57 Nuclear Materials Authority (NMA), Egypt – 0.03 1 N/A
58 Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT), Egypt 0.06 0.03 53 -49.3%
59 Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies (BCSS), Mozambique – 0.02 1 N/A
60 University of Nigeria (UNN), Nigeria 0.01 0.02 1 62.7%
61 Defitech Foundation, Swaziland – 0.02 1 N/A
62 University of Monastir (UM), Tunisia 0.06 0.02 1 -74.7%
63 Centre National de l'Energie, des Sciences et des Techniques Nuclaires / Rabat (CNESTEN), Morocco 0.02 0.01 1 -65.0%
64 Fayoum University (FU), Egypt 0.00 0.01 8 247.8%
65 University of Antananarivo, Madagascar – 0.01 1 N/A
66 Réseau Universitaire de Physique des Hautes Energies (RUPHE), Morocco – 0.00 1 N/A
67 Suez University, Egypt 0.06 0.00 8 -98.1%
68 Helwan University (HU), Egypt 0.18 0.00 7 -99.5%
69 Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Egypt – 0.00 4 N/A
70 EMSS Group, South Africa 0.04 0.00 1 -99.1%

Footnote

Each year, the Nature Index publishes tables based on counts of high-quality research outputs in the previous calendar year. Users please note:

  1. The data behind the tables are based on a relatively small proportion of total research papers, they cover the natural sciences only and outputs are non-normalized (that is, they don’t reflect the size of the country or institution, or its overall research output).
  2. The Nature Index is one indicator of institutional research performance. The metrics of Count and Share used to order Nature Index listings are based on an institution’s or country’s publication output in 82 natural-science journals through 2022, in 2023 64 health-science journals were added to the Index. The 146 journals in the Nature Index were selected on reputation by an independent panel of leading scientists in their fields.
  3. Nature Index recognizes that many other factors must be taken into account when considering research quality and institutional performance; Nature Index metrics alone should not be used to assess institutions or individuals.
  4. Nature Index data and methods are transparent and available under a creative commons licence at nature.com/nature-index/.

The Nature Index database undergoes regular updating, corrections, adjustment of institutional hierarchies, and removal of retracted papers and thus the live website can differ from the frozen annual tables.

*The change in adjusted Share accounts for the small annual variation in the total number of articles in Nature Index journals. Share values have been adjusted to 2022 levels to calculate the percentage change. For more information on the adjustment, please see the Adjusted metric explainer.


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