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IQ (Lynn/Becker)

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Smartest Countries 2024

Snapshot

  • Determining the world's smartest countries is complex, involving such factors as literacy, IQ scores, Nobel Prizes, and standardized test outcomes.

  • The OECD's PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) results for 2022, assessing math, reading, and science skills, reveals East Asian countries like Singapore leading.

  • The Intelligence Capital Index of 2017 focuses on how nations use their intelligence, with the U.S. leading in leveraging smart citizens for knowledge expansion.

Determining which countries are the smartest in the world is difficult because there are so many different factors that can be considered.

  • Would the smartest country be the one with the most literate citizens?
  • Maybe the smartest countries in the world would be those whose residents had the highest average IQ score country-wide?
  • Or is the smartest country the one that has the highest percentage of extremely smart people?
  • Could it even be the country whose citizens have earned the most Nobel Prizes?
  • Standardized test scores could be another method of determining which nations are the smartest—if only it was possible to craft and administer a single standardized test that could accurately measure every aspect of intelligence in every person in every culture (and speaking every language) in every country.

Obviously, there exist challenges to any attempt to land on a single clear-and-simple answer. Nonetheless, population and intelligence experts continue to devise new methods and approaches that bring them closer and closer to a realistic ranking of the world's smartest countries.

Some of the best-known and more widely publicized studies of world intelligence are conducted by British psychologist Richard Lynn. In a 2019 study titled The Intelligence of Nations, Lynn and collaborator David Becker measured the average IQ of citizens across 132 nations and calculated estimated scores for another 71. The top of the list looks as follows (scroll to the table at the bottom of the page for the rest).

Top 10 Smartest Countries by IQ

Country
IQ (Lynn/Becker)
Japan106.48
Taiwan106.47
Singapore105.89
Hong Kong105.37
China104.1
South Korea102.35
Belarus101.6
Finland101.2
Liechtenstein101.07
Germany100.74

It would be irresponsible to neglect to mention that Lynn's studies, while arguably the most comprehensive available, often spark considerable debate. Some detractors take issue with the methods Lynn uses to compute estimates when hard data is unavailable. Others accuse Lynn, an outspoken eugenicist, of using his data to support scientifically inaccurate theories.

The Link between Education and Intelligence

Education and intelligence are closely linked, as a more robust educational system tends to produce a more intelligent populace over time. With this in mind, some studies use the educational rankings of various countries as a basis for comparisons of intelligence. In 2023, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released its triennial PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) results, which compared the math, reading, and science testing scores of nearly 700,000 students in 81 countries for year 2022. The top 10 appear below.

Top 10 Smartest Countries Based on Math, Reading, and Science - OECD PISA 2022:

Country
PISA 2022 Overall Score
PISA Math 2022
PISA Science 2022
PISA Reading 2022
Singapore1679575561543
China1605552543510
Japan1599536547516
Taiwan1599547537515
South Korea1570527528515
Hong Kong1560540520500
Estonia1547510526511
Canada1519497515507
Ireland1512492504516
Switzerland1494508503483

A different OECD study, which used multiple data points for 2018, including adult education level, chose Canada as the most intelligent nation. Japan placed second, while Israel came in third. Other high-ranking nations include Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and Finland.

One of the more creative studies of intelligence is the 2017 Intelligence Capital Index, or ICI, which used several factors to determine not the smartest nations overall, but which nations were most likely to leverage their smartest citizens' intelligence to "expand the frontier of knowledge and/or introduce the technologies and innovations of the knowledge economy ... Big Data, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, etc."

In the ICI study, the United States ranked number one and was the only nation to receive an A+ rating. Coming in second place was the United Kingdom, followed by Germany in third place. Other high-ranking nations on the ICI include Australia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, Finland, and Denmark.

Top 10 Countries with the Highest Intelligence Capital Index - 2017:

Country
ICI 2017 Score
ICI 2017 Grade
United States74.9A+
United Kingdom64.2A
Germany64.2A
Australia64A
Singapore63.6A
Switzerland61.6A
Sweden61.6A
Canada61.2A
Finland60.5A
Denmark60.3A
- Substantial research on the subject of national IQs was conducted by psychologist Richard Lynn (1930-2023), working alongside the late Tatu Vanhanen (1929-2015) or, for 2019's The Intelligence of Nations, with David Becker.
- Becker's estimates are categorized by source. T = value is based upon actual test results from said country. E = value is a best-guess estimate based upon measured values of nearby countries.
- Becker's contributions were highly controversial. He promoted the theory that specific races and genders are genetically predisposed to be more intelligent than others, and both his methology and his objectivity were often called into question. However, his work brought attention to the field and he is frequently (if often grudgingly) considered a pioneer in the field of national intelligence.
- The OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a triennial survey of 15-year-old students around the world that measures students' ability to recall learned knowledge and apply it in new settings both in and out of school. PISA results were most recently released in 2022.
- The Intelligence Capital Index (ICI) was created by economist Kai L. Chan and most recently updated in 2017.

Download Table Data

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Country
IQ (Lynn/Becker)
Source (True/Est.)
ICI 2017 Grade
ICI 2017 Score
PISA 2022 Overall Score
PISA Math 2022
PISA Science 2022
PISA Reading 2022
Japan106.48TA-58.91599536547516
Taiwan106.47TB45.71599547537515
Singapore105.89TA63.61679575561543
Hong Kong105.37TB+51.21560540520500
China104.1TB47.31605552543510
South Korea102.35TA-56.41570527528515
Belarus101.6T0
Finland101.2TA60.51485484511490
Liechtenstein101.07E0
Germany100.74TA64.21447475492480
Netherlands100.74TA-58.71440493488459
Estonia100.72TB49.51547510526511
Luxembourg99.87EB+53.80
Macau99.82E0
Cambodia99.75TD16.11012336347329
Canada99.52TA61.21519497515507
Australia99.24TA641492487507498
Hungary99.24TB501432473486473
Switzerland99.24TA61.61494508503483
United Kingdom99.12TA64.21483489500494
Greenland98.89T0
North Korea98.82E0
Slovenia98.6TB+51.51454485500469
New Zealand98.57TA-57.31484479504501
Austria98.38TA-58.71458487491480
Iceland98.26TB+521342459447436
Denmark97.83TA60.31472489494489
Belgium97.49TA-58.71459489491479
United States97.43TA+74.91468465499504
Norway97.13TB+551423468478477
Sweden97TA61.61463482494487
France96.69TA-56.71435474487474
Poland96.35TB45.61477489499489
Slovakia96.32TB-43.61373464462447
Russia96.29TB46.60
Lithuania95.89TB46.31431475484472
Croatia95.75TC+38.51421463483475
Andorra95.2E0
Ireland95.13TB+53.61512492504516
Czech Republic94.92TB+51.81474487498489
Latvia94.79TB45.81452483494475
Italy94.23TB481430471477482
Vanuatu93.92E0
New Caledonia93.92E0
Spain93.9TB49.81432473485474
Bermuda93.48T0
Cyprus93.39TC+38.51210418411381
Portugal92.77TB-44.81433472484477
Israel92.43TB+50.11397458465474
Barbados91.6T0
Malta91.27TB-40.81377466466445
Myanmar91.18E0
Mongolia91.03TC-27.41215425412378
Bulgaria90.99TB-43.31242417421404
Greece90.77TB-40.11309430441438
Suriname90.29E0
Ukraine90.07TC+38.31319441450428
Moldova89.98EC31.51242414417411
Serbia89.6TC+35.21327440447440
Vietnam89.53TC-25.11403469472462
Iraq89.28T0
Uzbekistan89.01T1055364355336
Kazakhstan88.89TC+35.11234425423386
Thailand88.87TC-29.21182394409379
Armenia88.82EC-29.60
Bosnia and Herzegovina88.54TC-25.80
Costa Rica88.34TC32.41211385411415
Bhutan87.94E0
Chile87.89TC+37.81304412444448
Mexico87.73TC30.71220395410415
Tajikistan87.71TD+23.10
Uruguay87.59EC+37.91274409435430
Malaysia87.58TC+35.51213409416388
Brunei87.58E1317442446429
Bahamas86.99T0
Romania86.88TC+39.41284428428428
Turkey86.8TC33.41385453476456
Argentina86.63TB-40.51185378406401
Sri Lanka86.62TD+23.20
Mauritius86.56TC31.70
Turkmenistan85.86E0
Montenegro85.78EC34.61214406403405
Azerbaijan84.81EC-28.61142397380365
Georgia84.5EC31.51148390384374
Turks and Caicos Islands84.29E0
Paraguay84.04ED+24.51079338368373
Fiji83.96E0
Solomon Islands83.96E0
Samoa83.96E0
Kiribati83.96E0
Micronesia83.96E0
Tonga83.96E0
Marshall Islands83.96T0
Cook Islands83.96E0
Cuba83.9T0
Bahrain83.6TC-29.60
Brazil83.38TC+36.21192379403410
Guyana83.23E0
Colombia83.13TC-27.91203383411409
Venezuela82.99TC-26.80
Cayman Islands82.24E0
Afghanistan82.12E0
Haiti82.1T0
Dominican Republic82.05TD+23.91050339360351
United Arab Emirates82.05TC+35.91280431432417
Puerto Rico81.99T0
North Macedonia81.91EC-28.31128389380359
Albania81.75ED+23.41102368376358
Lebanon81.7TD19.80
Philippines81.64TC-26.61058355356347
Peru81.44TC-281207391408408
Northern Mariana Islands81.36E0
Laos80.99TD18.80
Libya80.92T0
Qatar80.78TC31.31265414432419
Jordan80.7TC-261078361375342
Maldives80.54E0
Iran80.01TC-25.50
Pakistan80TD19.60
Grenada79.34E0
Tunisia79.22ED+24.80
Kyrgyzstan79.09TC-27.20
Panama79EC-28.81137357388392
Sudan78.87T0
Chad78.87ED-10.30
Seychelles78.76T0
Oman78.7TC-27.10
Kuwait78.64TC-29.80
Indonesia78.49TD+23.71108366383359
Papua New Guinea78.49E0
Ecuador78.26TC-25.30
Palestine77.69T1084366369349
Senegal77.37ED-13.20
Comoros77.07E0
Madagascar76.79ED-90
British Virgin Islands76.69E0
Bolivia76.53TD+22.30
Uganda76.42TD-12.40
Saudi Arabia76.36TC30.21162389390383
Egypt76.32TD+21.60
India76.24TC-29.40
Algeria76ED19.10
Kenya75.2TD19.30
Angola75.1T0
Jamaica75.08TC-26.71190377403410
Tanzania74.95TD-14.40
Syria74.41T0
Bangladesh74.33TD16.90
Zimbabwe74.01TD-11.70
Burkina Faso73.8T0
Saint Lucia73.68E0
Mozambique72.5ED-10.90
Burundi72.09ED-8.80
Niger70.82E0
Antigua and Barbuda70.48E0
Saint Kitts and Nevis70.48E0
Rwanda69.95ED-9.90
Benin69.71ED-12.80
Malawi69.7TD-10.70
El Salvador69.63ED+21.71081343373365
Botswana69.45TD+23.90
South Africa68.87TC330
Lesotho68.87ED16.10
Eswatini68.87E0
Eritrea68.77T0
Zambia68.43ED18.90
Ethiopia68.42TD-10.30
Djibouti68.41E0
Nigeria67.76TD-13.90
Cameroon67.76ED17.80
Somalia67.67T0
Morocco67.03TD+22.61069365365339
Namibia66.19TD18.90
Dominica66.03T0
Sao Tome and Principe65.22E0
DR Congo64.92T0
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines63.42T0
Republic of the Congo62.97T0
Gabon62.97E0
Yemen62.86T0
Central African Republic62.55E0
Belize62.55E0
Honduras62.16ED+20.20
Togo59.83E0
Mali59.76TD-9.90
Mauritania59.76ED-11.60
South Sudan58.61T0
Ghana58.16TD17.40
Ivory Coast58.16E0
Guinea53.48ED-6.80
Nicaragua52.69TD+22.50
Gambia52.68T0
Cape Verde52.5E0
Guatemala47.72TD+22.81091344373374
Sierra Leone45.07T0
Liberia45.07E0
Nepal42.99TD18.30
Guinea Bissau0
Equatorial Guinea0
Trinidad and Tobago0
Timor Leste0
Reunion0
Western Sahara0
Guadeloupe0
Martinique0
Mayotte0
French Guiana0
French Polynesia0
Curacao0
Guam0
Jersey0
Aruba0
United States Virgin Islands0
Isle of Man0
Guernsey0
Faroe Islands0
Sint Maarten0
American Samoa0
Monaco0
San Marino0
Gibraltar0
Saint Martin0
Palau0
Anguilla0
Nauru0
Tuvalu0
Wallis and Futuna0
Saint Barthelemy0
Saint Pierre and Miquelon0
Montserrat0
Falkland Islands0
Niue0
Tokelau0
Vatican City0
Total438.69447.99436.19
showing: 234 rows

Which country has the highest IQ?

Japan has the world's highest IQ with an average of 106.48.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources