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Average IQ by Country

Explore average IQ scores across 195+ countries on an interactive world map. Click any country to see detailed data including education metrics, GDP correlations, and literacy rates. Each country has a detailed profile page with full analysis.

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Top 5 Countries by Average IQ

108
Singapore
#1
106
China
#2
106
Japan
#3
106
South Korea
#4
103
Finland
#5

Complete Country Rankings

#CountryAvg IQContinentPopulationLiteracy
1Singapore108Asia5,920,00097%
2China106Asia1,425,000,00097%
3Japan106Asia123,300,00099%
4South Korea106Asia51,740,00099%
5Finland103Europe5,500,000100%
6Germany103Europe83,800,00099%
7Netherlands103Europe17,600,00099%
8Switzerland103Europe8,800,00099%
9Australia102Oceania26,400,00099%
10Austria102Europe9,100,00099%
11Estonia102Europe1,400,000100%
12Iceland102Europe380,00099%
13Italy102Europe59,000,00099%
14Monaco102Europe39,00099%
15North Korea102Asia26,070,000100%
16Sweden102Europe10,500,00099%
17United Kingdom102Europe67,700,00099%
18Belgium101Europe11,600,00099%
19Canada101North America39,000,00099%
20Liechtenstein101Europe39,000100%
21Luxembourg101Europe650,00099%
22Mongolia101Asia3,400,00099%
23New Zealand101Oceania5,100,00099%
24Norway101Europe5,500,00099%
25Czech Republic100Europe10,800,00099%
26Denmark100Europe5,900,00099%
27France100Europe68,000,00099%
28Hungary100Europe9,700,00099%
29Israel100Asia9,300,00098%
30Poland100Europe37,700,00099%
31Russia100Europe144,200,000100%
32Spain100Europe47,400,00098%
33United States100North America331,900,00099%
34Vatican City100Europe800100%
35Andorra99Europe80,000100%
36Croatia99Europe3,900,00099%
37San Marino99Europe34,00099%
38Slovakia99Europe5,400,00099%
39Slovenia99Europe2,100,000100%
40Vietnam99Asia99,460,00096%
41Ireland98Europe5,100,00099%
42Malta98Europe530,00095%
43Uruguay98South America3,400,00099%
44Belarus97Europe9,200,000100%
45Portugal97Europe10,300,00096%
46Ukraine97Europe37,000,000100%
47Argentina96South America45,800,00099%
48Kazakhstan96Asia19,600,000100%
49Latvia96Europe1,800,000100%
50Lithuania96Europe2,800,000100%
51Romania96Europe19,000,00099%
52Bulgaria95Europe6,700,00098%
53Greece95Europe10,400,00098%
54Malaysia95Asia34,300,00095%
55Armenia94Asia2,800,000100%
56Georgia94Asia3,700,000100%
57Bosnia and Herzegovina93Europe3,200,00098%
58Cambodia93Asia16,700,00084%
59Chile93South America19,500,00097%
60Cyprus93Europe1,300,00099%
61Iran93Asia88,500,00088%
62Serbia93Europe6,600,00099%
63Thailand93Asia71,800,00094%
64Turkey93Asia85,300,00097%
65Albania92Europe2,700,00098%
66Mauritius92Africa1,300,00091%
67Moldova92Europe2,600,000100%
68Montenegro92Europe620,00099%
69North Macedonia92Europe1,800,00098%
70Brunei91Asia450,00097%
71Brazil90South America214,300,00093%
72Indonesia90Asia277,500,00096%
73Laos90Asia7,500,00085%
74Mexico90North America128,900,00095%
75Uzbekistan90Asia35,600,000100%
76Costa Rica89North America5,200,00098%
77Iraq89Asia44,500,00086%
78Kuwait89Asia4,300,00096%
79Kyrgyzstan89Asia7,000,000100%
80Philippines89Asia117,300,00096%
81Azerbaijan88Asia10,100,000100%
82Cuba88North America11,300,000100%
83Peru88South America34,000,00094%
84Saudi Arabia88Asia36,900,00098%
85United Arab Emirates88Asia9,400,00098%
86Bolivia87South America12,200,00092%
87Colombia87South America51,900,00095%
88Fiji87Oceania920,00099%
89India87Asia1,428,600,00077%
90Jordan87Asia11,300,00098%
91Morocco87Africa37,300,00075%
92Myanmar87Asia54,200,00089%
93Panama87North America4,400,00095%
94Paraguay87South America6,800,00094%
95Samoa87Oceania220,00099%
96Tajikistan87Asia10,100,000100%
97Tonga87Oceania100,00099%
98Tunisia87Africa12,400,00081%
99Turkmenistan87Asia6,400,000100%
100Venezuela87South America28,400,00097%
101Algeria86Africa45,400,00081%
102Bahrain86Asia1,500,00098%
103Egypt86Africa110,990,00073%
104Lebanon86Asia5,500,00095%
105Oman86Asia4,600,00096%
106Seychelles86Africa100,00096%
107Sri Lanka86Asia22,200,00092%
108Dominican Republic85North America11,200,00093%
109Libya85Africa6,800,00091%
110Syria85Asia22,100,00086%
111Ecuador84South America18,000,00094%
112Honduras84North America10,400,00088%
113Kiribati84Oceania130,00093%
114Madagascar84Africa29,600,00077%
115Marshall Islands84Oceania42,00098%
116Micronesia84Oceania114,00089%
117Nauru84Oceania12,50096%
118Nigeria84Africa223,800,00062%
119Pakistan84Asia231,400,00058%
120Palau84Oceania18,00096%
121Palestine84Asia5,400,00097%
122Papua New Guinea84Oceania10,300,00064%
123Qatar84Asia2,700,00097%
124Solomon Islands84Oceania720,00077%
125South Africa84Africa60,400,00095%
126Tuvalu84Oceania11,20095%
127Vanuatu84Oceania320,00088%
128Botswana83Africa2,600,00088%
129El Salvador83North America6,300,00089%
130Guatemala83North America17,100,00081%
131Maldives83Asia520,00098%
132Nicaragua83North America7,000,00083%
133Trinidad and Tobago83North America1,500,00099%
134Antigua and Barbuda82North America100,00099%
135Bangladesh82Asia172,900,00075%
136Nepal82Asia30,900,00068%
137Afghanistan80Asia42,200,00037%
138Barbados80North America280,000100%
139Bhutan80Asia780,00067%
140Jamaica80North America2,800,00088%
141Kenya80Africa54,000,00082%
142Namibia80Africa2,500,00092%
143Rwanda80Africa14,000,00073%
144Senegal80Africa17,900,00052%
145Suriname80South America620,00094%
146Yemen80Asia33,700,00054%
147Ghana79Africa33,500,00079%
148Zimbabwe79Africa16,300,00090%
149Bahamas78North America410,00095%
150Cape Verde78Africa590,00087%
151Eswatini78Africa1,200,00088%
152Mozambique78Africa33,900,00063%
153Sudan78Africa46,900,00061%
154Tanzania78Africa65,500,00078%
155Timor-Leste78Asia1,340,00068%
156Uganda78Africa48,600,00077%
157Zambia78Africa20,000,00087%
158Cameroon77Africa28,600,00077%
159Comoros77Africa830,00059%
160Ethiopia77Africa126,500,00052%
161Grenada77North America125,00098%
162Ivory Coast77Africa28,200,00047%
163Lesotho77Africa2,300,00079%
164Angola76Africa35,600,00071%
165Gabon76Africa2,400,00084%
166Guyana76South America810,00088%
167Haiti76North America11,700,00062%
168Belize75North America400,00083%
169Burkina Faso75Africa22,700,00046%
170Djibouti75Africa1,100,00060%
171Dominica75North America72,00094%
172Eritrea75Africa3,700,00077%
173Mali75Africa22,400,00035%
174Niger75Africa26,200,00035%
175Saint Kitts and Nevis75North America47,00098%
176Saint Lucia75North America180,00095%
177Chad74Africa17,700,00026%
178Mauritania74Africa4,900,00053%
179DR Congo73Africa102,300,00077%
180Republic of the Congo73Africa6,100,00081%
181Equatorial Guinea72Africa1,700,00095%
182São Tomé and Príncipe72Africa230,00093%
183Liberia71Africa5,400,00048%
184Saint Vincent and the Grenadines71North America110,00096%
185Sierra Leone71Africa8,600,00043%
186Benin70Africa13,700,00042%
187Guinea70Africa14,200,00032%
188Togo70Africa8,800,00065%
189Burundi69Africa13,200,00068%
190Malawi69Africa20,400,00062%
191Central African Republic68Africa5,500,00037%
192Gambia68Africa2,700,00051%
193Somalia68Africa18,100,00040%
194South Sudan68Africa11,400,00035%
195Guinea-Bissau67Africa2,100,00046%

Showing 195 of 195 countries

Data Sources & Methodology

National IQ estimates are approximate and based on meta-analyses of available cognitive testing data (Becker, 2019; Lynn & Vanhanen, 2012; World Population Review, 2025). These scores reflect measured test performance and are influenced by education, nutrition, healthcare, and socioeconomic factors — they do not measure innate intelligence. Within-country variation is much larger than between-country differences. IQ tests developed in Western contexts may not translate fairly across all cultures. Interpret with appropriate caution.

IQ Data Sources

Becker, D. (2019). "The NIQ Dataset" v1.3.3

The most comprehensive meta-analysis of national IQ studies, compiling data from hundreds of cognitive testing studies worldwide. Used as the primary source for 75 countries in our dataset. Generally considered the most reliable source as it adjusts for methodological differences across studies.

Lynn, R. & Vanhanen, T. (2012). "Intelligence: A Unifying Construct"

A foundational dataset covering 74 countries in our data. While influential, some estimates in this dataset are imputed from neighboring countries or educational achievement data rather than direct cognitive testing. Individual country pages indicate when this source is used.

World Population Review (2024–2025)

Aggregated estimates used for 46 countries where peer-reviewed primary sources were unavailable. These tend to be smaller nations or those with limited cognitive testing infrastructure, and should be treated as rougher approximations.

Demographic & Economic Sources

Economic Data: World Bank (2023). GDP per capita, PPP (current international $); Education expenditure (% of GDP).
Development Indicators: UNDP Human Development Report (2023-2024). HDI, mean years of schooling.
Literacy Data: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (2023). Adult literacy rates.
Population: UN World Population Prospects (2024).
Data quality note:Each country page displays its specific IQ data source and year. Countries sourced from Becker (2019) generally have the most robust data, while those from World Population Review are rougher estimates. Visit any country's individual page for source details specific to that nation.

Understanding IQ Differences Between Countries

National IQ averages vary significantly around the world, from approximately 73 to 108 across our dataset. These differences are primarily driven by environmental factors rather than genetic ones. Countries with stronger educational systems, better nutrition and healthcare, and higher levels of economic development tend to show higher measured IQ scores. The bell curve distribution of IQ scores within any single country is always far wider than the range of national averages.

The Flynn Effect (the documented rise in IQ scores over generations) demonstrates that these differences are not fixed. As developing nations invest in education and infrastructure, their measured IQ scores have risen, sometimes dramatically. Vietnam is a notable example: despite a relatively low GDP per capita, strong educational investment has produced IQ scores comparable to many wealthier European nations.

The Relationship Between IQ, Education, and Economic Development

There is a well-established correlation between national IQ averages and economic indicators like GDP per capita (approximately r = 0.7). However, this relationship is complex and bidirectional. Economic development enables investment in education, nutrition, and healthcare, all of which improve measured cognitive performance. Simultaneously, a more cognitively capable workforce contributes to productivity and innovation.

Key factors that influence national IQ scores include: access to quality education (particularly in early childhood), adequate nutrition during developmental years, healthcare access, urbanization levels, and the overall complexity of the cognitive environment. For a deeper understanding of how IQ relates to career outcomes, see our Career-IQ Matcher.

Limitations of Cross-Country IQ Comparisons

Comparing IQ scores across countries carries significant methodological limitations that readers should understand. IQ tests were developed primarily in Western, industrialized countries and may carry cultural biases when applied across different cultures and educational traditions. Sample sizes and quality vary enormously: some country estimates are based on large, representative samples while others rely on small or non-representative groups.

Furthermore, many national scores are imputed or estimated from educational achievement data (PISA, TIMSS) rather than direct IQ testing. These numbers should be interpreted as rough approximations of measured cognitive test performance, not as measures of innate intelligence or national capability. For a scientifically validated measure of your own cognitive ability, consider taking our free IQ test.

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