Smartest Countries

Last updated May 23, 2025

Average IQ
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Last
Average IQ 2019Question Mark
1JapanJapan106.48
2TaiwanTaiwan106.47
3SingaporeSingapore105.89
4Hong KongHong Kong105.37
5ChinaChina104.1
6South KoreaSouth Korea102.35
7BelarusBelarus101.6
8FinlandFinland101.2
9LiechtensteinLiechtenstein101.07
10GermanyGermany100.74
10NetherlandsNetherlands100.74
12EstoniaEstonia100.72
13LuxembourgLuxembourg99.87
14MacauMacau99.82
15CambodiaCambodia99.75
16CanadaCanada99.52
17SwitzerlandSwitzerland99.24
17AustraliaAustralia99.24
17HungaryHungary99.24
20United KingdomUnited Kingdom99.12
21GreenlandGreenland98.89
22North KoreaNorth Korea98.82
23SloveniaSlovenia98.6
24New ZealandNew Zealand98.57
25AustriaAustria98.38
26IcelandIceland98.26
27DenmarkDenmark97.83
28BelgiumBelgium97.49
29United StatesUnited States97.43
30NorwayNorway97.13
31SwedenSweden97
32FranceFrance96.69
33PolandPoland96.35
34SlovakiaSlovakia96.32
35RussiaRussia96.29
36LithuaniaLithuania95.89
37CroatiaCroatia95.75
38AndorraAndorra95.2
39IrelandIreland95.13
40Czech RepublicCzech Republic94.92
41LatviaLatvia94.79
42ItalyItaly94.23
43VanuatuVanuatu93.92
43New CaledoniaNew Caledonia93.92
45SpainSpain93.9
46BermudaBermuda93.48
47CyprusCyprus93.39
48PortugalPortugal92.77
49IsraelIsrael92.43
50BarbadosBarbados91.6
51MaltaMalta91.27
52MyanmarMyanmar91.18
53MongoliaMongolia91.03
54BulgariaBulgaria90.99
55GreeceGreece90.77
56SurinameSuriname90.29
57UkraineUkraine90.07
58MoldovaMoldova89.98
59SerbiaSerbia89.6
60VietnamVietnam89.53
61IraqIraq89.28
62UzbekistanUzbekistan89.01
63KazakhstanKazakhstan88.89
64ThailandThailand88.87
65ArmeniaArmenia88.82
66Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina88.54
67Costa RicaCosta Rica88.34
68BhutanBhutan87.94
69ChileChile87.89
70MexicoMexico87.73
71TajikistanTajikistan87.71
72UruguayUruguay87.59
73MalaysiaMalaysia87.58
73BruneiBrunei87.58
75BahamasBahamas86.99
76RomaniaRomania86.88
77TurkeyTurkey86.8
78ArgentinaArgentina86.63
79Sri LankaSri Lanka86.62
80MauritiusMauritius86.56
81TurkmenistanTurkmenistan85.86
82MontenegroMontenegro85.78
83Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago85.63
84AzerbaijanAzerbaijan84.81
85GeorgiaGeorgia84.5
86Turks and Caicos IslandsTurks and Caicos Islands84.29
87ParaguayParaguay84.04
88Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands83.96
88Cook IslandsCook Islands83.96
88FijiFiji83.96
88MicronesiaMicronesia83.96
88SamoaSamoa83.96
88Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands83.96
88TongaTonga83.96
88KiribatiKiribati83.96
96CubaCuba83.9
97BahrainBahrain83.6
98BrazilBrazil83.38
99GuyanaGuyana83.23
100ColombiaColombia83.13
101VenezuelaVenezuela82.99
102Cayman IslandsCayman Islands82.24
103AfghanistanAfghanistan82.12
104HaitiHaiti82.1
105Dominican RepublicDominican Republic82.05
105United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab Emirates82.05
107Puerto RicoPuerto Rico81.99
108North MacedoniaNorth Macedonia81.91
109AlbaniaAlbania81.75
110LebanonLebanon81.7
111PhilippinesPhilippines81.64
112PeruPeru81.44
113Northern Mariana IslandsNorthern Mariana Islands81.36
114LaosLaos80.99
115LibyaLibya80.92
116QatarQatar80.78
117JordanJordan80.7
118MaldivesMaldives80.54
119IranIran80.01
120PakistanPakistan80
121GrenadaGrenada79.34
122TunisiaTunisia79.22
123KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan79.09
124PanamaPanama79
125SudanSudan78.87
125ChadChad78.87
127SeychellesSeychelles78.76
128OmanOman78.7
129KuwaitKuwait78.64
130Papua New GuineaPapua New Guinea78.49
130IndonesiaIndonesia78.49
130Timor LesteTimor Leste78.49
133EcuadorEcuador78.26
134PalestinePalestine77.69
135SenegalSenegal77.37
136ComorosComoros77.07
137MadagascarMadagascar76.79
138British Virgin IslandsBritish Virgin Islands76.69
139BoliviaBolivia76.53
140UgandaUganda76.42
141Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia76.36
142EgyptEgypt76.32
143IndiaIndia76.24
144AlgeriaAlgeria76
145KenyaKenya75.2
146AngolaAngola75.1
147JamaicaJamaica75.08
148TanzaniaTanzania74.95
149SyriaSyria74.41
150BangladeshBangladesh74.33
151ZimbabweZimbabwe74.01
152Burkina FasoBurkina Faso73.8
153Saint LuciaSaint Lucia73.68
154MozambiqueMozambique72.5
155BurundiBurundi72.09
156NigerNiger70.82
157Saint Kitts and NevisSaint Kitts and Nevis70.48
157Antigua and BarbudaAntigua and Barbuda70.48
159RwandaRwanda69.95
160BeninBenin69.71
161MalawiMalawi69.7
162El SalvadorEl Salvador69.63
163BotswanaBotswana69.45
164LesothoLesotho68.87
164South AfricaSouth Africa68.87
164EswatiniEswatini68.87
167EritreaEritrea68.77
168ZambiaZambia68.43
169EthiopiaEthiopia68.42
170DjiboutiDjibouti68.41
171CameroonCameroon67.76
171NigeriaNigeria67.76
173SomaliaSomalia67.67
174MoroccoMorocco67.03
175NamibiaNamibia66.19
176DominicaDominica66.03
177Sao Tome and PrincipeSao Tome and Principe65.22
178DR CongoDR Congo64.92
179Saint Vincent and the GrenadinesSaint Vincent and the Grenadines63.42
180Republic of the CongoRepublic of the Congo62.97
180GabonGabon62.97
182YemenYemen62.86
183Central African RepublicCentral African Republic62.55
183BelizeBelize62.55
185HondurasHonduras62.16
186TogoTogo59.83
187MaliMali59.76
187MauritaniaMauritania59.76
189South SudanSouth Sudan58.61
190GhanaGhana58.16
190Ivory CoastIvory Coast58.16
192GuineaGuinea53.48
193NicaraguaNicaragua52.69
194GambiaGambia52.68
195Cape VerdeCape Verde52.5
196GuatemalaGuatemala47.72
197Sierra LeoneSierra Leone45.07
197LiberiaLiberia45.07
199NepalNepal42.99

Intelligence Around the World

Intelligence quotient, or IQ as we often refer to it, provides a measure of human cognitive abilities in relation to one's age group. While IQ is by no means a comprehensive assessment of one's mental prowess or potential, it does offer an intriguing glimpse into intellectual capabilities at a national level. To gauge countries' intelligence, experts often utilize average national IQ scores. It's important to note, these scores aren't static but are subject to a variety of influences ranging from education systems, socio-economic factors, and even nutritional considerations.

From the rich trove of public data detailing average national IQs, we embark on an enlightening journey across the globe, exploring regions that lead the charts and those that fare relatively low.

Key findings from our data include:

  • East Asian countries dominate the high IQ bracket, with Japan leading the pack, exhibiting a remarkable average IQ of 106.48. They're closely followed by Taiwan and Singapore, with average IQs of 106.47 and 105.89 respectively.
  • European nations, particularly those from the north like Finland and Germany, also show high IQs, echoing a correlation between IQ and high quality of education and healthcare infrastructure prevalent in these regions.
  • The United States ranks well within the first third of the list, flaunting an average IQ score of 97.43. Given its diverse demographics and large population, this is a promising figure.
  • While consistent data for all African nations is sparse, both North African and Sub-Saharan countries show lower average IQ scores. For example, Ghana has an average IQ of 58.16. These relatively low scores could be attributed to numerous factors, such as a lack of access to quality education and poor nutrition during critical developmental years.
  • A fascinating observation from the data is the slight edge countries with smaller populations, like Liechtenstein, seem to have over giants like China and India. This could prompt a worthy discussion about the role of population size in national IQ averages.

10 Smartest Countries

The ten countries with the highest average IQ scores, according to public data, are Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Belarus, Finland, Netherlands, and Germany.

Japan leads the pack with an average IQ of 106.48. Closely following Japan is Taiwan, with an average IQ score of 106.47. Singapore checks in with an average IQ score of 105.89, and in fourth place is Hong Kong with 105.37. China's average IQ is recorded at 104.1, placing it fifth in the ranking. South Korea's average IQ score is 102.35, ranking it sixth highest globally. Following South Korea is Belarus, boasting an average IQ of 101.6. Finland is eighth in the lineup with an average IQ of 101.2, and the Netherlands and Germany both have an average IQ of 100.74, rounding out the list of the top ten countries.

Smartest Countries in the World:

  1. Japan – 106.48
  2. Taiwan – 106.47
  3. Singapore – 105.89
  4. Hong Kong – 105.37
  5. China – 104.1
  6. South Korea – 102.35
  7. Belarus – 101.6
  8. Finland – 101.2
  9. Netherlands – 100.74
  10. Germany – 100.74
The Intelligence of Nations
Last updated
2019
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