Top Universities for Economics in 2021

Australia has 21 of the best universities in the world for economics and econometrics. Five of these are in the global top 50. The economics courses at the top-ranking University of Melbourne (joint 30th) teach students problem solving and data analysis skills which can be used for a wide range of careers.  

The University of Sydney (joint 38th) earns one of the country’s highest scores for employer reputation. Its alumni include a former Prime Minister, leaders in the World and Reserve banks and many graduates have held influential positions in the Treasury and other policy departments.  

New Zealand’s universities boast seven of the world’s top economics and econometrics courses, with the University of Auckland (joint 96th) taking the top spot in New Zealand, earning a high score for employer reputation.

Asia is home to 94 of the world’s most prestigious universities to study economics and econometrics.   

Mainland China claims the majority of these, with 24 top schools, and two in the world top 50. Mainland China has seen a general improvement in our subject rankings for Economics, with many institutions moving up the ranks. This is reflective of fiercer competition from China more widely this year, as can be seen in our other subjects. Peking University ranks 24th for its economics programme which helps students build transferrable problem solving and data analysis skills. Tsinghua University places close behind in joint 25th this year, with a high score in employer reputation.

Japan has the second highest number of universities in Asia, with 13 universities in the rankings this year. The University of Tokyo (30th) is the highest ranked of these, despite dropping two places this year.

South Korea has 11 economics programmes featuring in the index, including Seoul National University (SNU), which rises three places this year to joint 45th. SNU earns its highest score in the employer reputation indicator and its graduates have been hired in many leading economic institutions around the world, including in government positions.

Hong Kong performs well this year, with three of its six economics universities in the world top 50. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) performs best for economics and econometrics in 27th place. HKUST earns an impressive score for the research citations per paper indicator due to the strong research published by its faculty in some of the top academic journals in economics. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and University of Hong Kong (HKU) also perform well, ranking 48th and 49th respectively.  

Of Taiwan’s seven entries this year, National Taiwan University (NTU) scores the highest in 83rd place.Singapore is home to three top universities to study economics, with all three in the world top 100, including National University of Singapore (NUS) in 17th place.

There are 25 Latin American economics programmes featured in the subject rankings this year.

The majority of these are located in Brazil, where there are eight top universities offering excellent economics courses. The highest ranked of these is Fundação Getulio Vargas in 101-150. It scores highly in the research citations per paper indicator and has over 90 research centers, each producing a large volume of academic research.

Colombia is home to five economics programmes in the rankings, with Universidad de Los Andes Colombia (Uniandes, 151-200) earning the best score for employer reputation in the country. Uniandes strives for academic excellence while encouraging character development amongst its students. This unique mix makes the school’s graduates very popular amongst employers.  

One of Argentina ’s three entries, Universidad de Buenos Aires scores particularly well for employer reputation. The school offers a variety of paid educational internships in companies across the country to help boost students’ career prospects.  Mexico also has three entries, with its top economics programme found at Tecnológico de Monterrey (ITESM). ITESM climbed an impressive six places in 2021 to reach 145th.  

Chile’s four entries this year include Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in 106th and Uruguay and Peru each have a single economics programme featuring in the index this year.

Africa is home to seven top universities for economics and econometrics. Five of these are situated in South Africa, and two are in Egypt. Of the universities in South Africa, University of Johannesburg and University of The Witwatersrand have both risen up to 50 places in the rankings this year, both placing 351-400. 

One of Egypt's two programmes in the rankings, Cairo University, also climbed up to 50 places this year, ranking 301-350. The school’s economics courses are four years long and aim to educate students in economics, statistics and political science.  

The Middle East has eight universities in the rankings this year. Israel‘s Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University rank the highest in the Middle East, both in the top 200 worldwide. 

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdul Aziz University (KAU, 201-250), the UAE’s United Arab Emirates University (451-500) and Iran’s sole entry, University of Tehran (401-450), have all climbed up to 50 places this year.