There are six Nobel Prize categories commonly presented together: physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, peace, and economic sciences. Alfred Nobel’s 1895 will established the first five; economic sciences was added in 1969 as a separate prize in his memory.
Why there are six categories but only five in Nobel’s will
Alfred Nobel signed his will on 27 November 1895. It directed that prizes be given to those who “during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind,” and named physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace as the fields to recognize. The first awards were presented in 1901. Nobel Prize Outreach’s overview of the Nobel Prize explains that economic sciences came later: the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel was established in 1969.
The Nobel Foundation groups the economic-sciences prize with the other five in its presentation of six categories, and “Nobel Prize” is often used conversationally for all six. Its formal name and later origin matter, however: Nobel’s will did not name economics as a prize category.
What each category recognizes
Nobel’s will gives each of its five fields a distinct criterion. The Foundation reproduces the original wording in the Statutes of the Nobel Foundation.
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- Author: Ishiguro, Kazuo.
- Publisher: Vintage International
- Pages: 245
- Publication Date: 1990-09-12
- Edition: First Edition
Physics
The prize recognizes the person who made “the most important discovery or invention within the field of physics.” The will therefore names both discovery and invention.
Chemistry
The criterion is “the most important chemical discovery or improvement.” The wording expressly includes improvements as well as discoveries.
Physiology or medicine
The prize recognizes “the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine.” “Physiology or Medicine” is the official category name.
Literature
The will describes the recipient’s work as “the most outstanding work in an ideal direction.” That is the historical wording of Nobel’s criterion; it should not be mistaken for a more expansive modern paraphrase.
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Peace
The prize recognizes the person who did “the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.” Its original criterion thus names three aims: fraternity between nations, reducing or abolishing standing armies, and promoting peace congresses.
Economic sciences
The formal award is the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. It was established in 1969, rather than specified in Nobel’s will. The official overview presents it alongside the five original categories.
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How many prizes and laureates are there?
Nobel Prize Outreach’s Nobel Prize facts page reports the following totals for the period 1901–2025. These are period-specific counts, not totals through 2026.
| Category | Prizes, 1901–2025 | Laureates, 1901–2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Physics | 119 | 230 |
| Chemistry | 117 | 200 |
| Physiology or Medicine | 116 | 232 |
| Literature | 118 | 122 |
| Peace | 106 | 112 people and 31 organisations |
| Economic sciences | 57 | 99 |
Across all six awards, the official facts page says they were awarded 633 times to 1,026 people and organisations between 1901 and 2025. The categories do not have identical totals, and the peace count distinguishes people from organisations.
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