AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The latest results of the 2025 Leiden Rankings indicate that Iran has secured first place among countries in the Islamic world by having the largest number of top-ranked universities, underscoring its prominent role on the region’s scientific map.
According to the report, 48 Iranian universities appear on the list of leading universities in the Islamic world. This figure places Iran ahead of Turkey, with 45 universities, and Saudi Arabia, with 20. Pakistan follows with 16 universities, while Egypt ranks next with 15, a distribution that points to the concentration of academic competition among a limited number of regional higher-education powers.
Further down the list, Malaysia is represented by seven universities, Indonesia by five, and the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Morocco each by four. Although their shares are smaller, their presence reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen international academic standing and integrate more closely into the global knowledge-production network.
The Leiden Rankings, which focus on scientific output, publication volume, citation impact, and research collaboration, assess not only individual institutional excellence but also the breadth and depth of national scientific activity. From this perspective, Iran’s top position signals the resilience of its university system, the wide distribution of higher-education institutions, and the continuity of research activity under varying conditions.
Analysts attribute this performance to a large human-capital base, sustained emphasis on public higher education, and both quantitative and qualitative growth in scientific output. They caution, however, that maintaining this position will require parallel attention to educational quality, stronger university–industry links, internationalization, and addressing challenges such as academic brain drain.
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