University of Ibadan Ranks Among World’s Top 1,000 Universities, Only Nigerian Institution in the List

The University of Ibadan (UI) has been ranked 889th among nearly 19,800 universities worldwide, placing the institution among the top 4.5 per cent of universities globally and making it the only Nigerian university in the global top 1,000.

The latest ranking also places the University of Ibadan 14th in Africa, a position it has maintained across successive editions. The institution now ranks ahead of several long-established research universities on the continent.

Within the current edition, UI improved its global position by 15 places between mid-August and October 1, 2026.

The latest figures were contained in the October 2026 edition of the AD Scientific Index, refreshed on October 1, 2026, and made public by the Chairman of the Nigerian Tertiary Education Ranking Advisory Committee (NiTERAC), Professor Peter A. Okebukola.

Professor Okebukola described the development as another milestone for Nigerian universities, noting that institutions across the country recorded significant gains in the October 2026 AD Scientific Rankings.

According to the Executive Summary of the ranking, Nigerian universities, particularly federal universities, have strengthened their presence in the global research landscape.

Nigeria currently ranks 48th among 221 countries and third in Africa, with 384 institutions and 53,580 scientists indexed. The figures make Nigeria the largest of Africa’s three leading research nations in terms of indexed institutions and scientists.

Federal universities account for a significant portion of the country’s research strength, with their performance particularly evident in the rankings of individual scholars.

Professor Okebukola noted that the number of Nigerian universities included in the rankings has also increased significantly, rising from 257 institutions in the 2024 edition to more than 300 in 2026. The number of indexed Nigerian scientists has similarly continued to increase throughout 2026.

At the individual researcher level, 16 of the 22 Nigeria-based scholars ranked among the country’s top 25 by citations are affiliated with federal universities. Five of those scholars are from the University of Ibadan.

Two federal university scholars, Professor Mayowa Owolabi of the University of Ibadan and Shafiu Mohammed, are also ranked among the 800 most-cited researchers globally, out of more than 2.6 million indexed researchers.

The latest ranking further highlights the University of Ibadan’s continued position as a major centre of research and tertiary education in Nigeria and its growing visibility within the global academic community.