Average IQ by Country 2026
Average IQ by Country 2026
Hong Kong
107.73
Highest
Somalia
83.84
Lowest
Average IQ (IIT)Average IQ (Lynn/Becker)
Average IQ (IIT)
85
90
95
100
105
Hong Kong
107.73
South Korea
106.97
China
106.48
Macau
106.32
Japan
106.30
Taiwan
105.80
Countries Ranked by Average IQ
2025
IQ studiesPISA ScoresLynn/Becker 2019
| 
| Hong Kong | 107.73 | B+ | 51.2 |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------ | -- | ---- |
| 
| South Korea | 106.97 | A- | 56.4 |
| 
| China | 106.48 | B | 47.3 |
| 
| Macau | 106.32 | | |
| 
| Japan | 106.30 | A- | 58.9 |
| 
| Taiwan | 105.80 | B | 45.7 |
| 
| Iran | 104.80 | C- | 25.5 |
| 
| Australia | 104.45 | A | 64.0 |
| 
| Russia | 103.78 | B | 46.6 |
| 
| Singapore | 103.56 | A | 63.6 |
| 
| Mongolia | 102.61 | C- | 27.4 |
| 
| New Zealand | 102.35 | A- | 57.3 |
| 
| Vietnam | 102.26 | C- | 25.1 |
| 
| Spain | 102.24 | B | 49.8 |
| 
| Cyprus | 102.12 | C+ | 38.5 |
| 
| Canada | 102.09 | A | 61.2 |
| 
| United Kingdom | 101.57 | A | 64.2 |
| 
| Sri Lanka | 101.22 | D+ | 23.2 |
| 
| Slovenia | 101.15 | B+ | 51.5 |
| 
| Belarus | 101.05 | | |
| 
| United States | 101.04 | A+ | 74.9 |
| 
| Albania | 101.00 | D+ | 23.4 |
| 
| Switzerland | 100.84 | A | 61.6 |
| 
| Georgia | 100.35 | C | 31.5 |
| 
| Italy | 100.33 | B | 48.0 |
| 
| Netherlands | 100.27 | A- | 58.7 |
| 
| Peru | 100.20 | C- | 28.0 |
| 
| Hungary | 100.15 | B | 50.0 |
| 
| Armenia | 100.13 | C- | 29.6 |
| 
| France | 100.12 | A- | 56.7 |
| 
| Finland | 99.97 | A | 60.5 |
| 
| Portugal | 99.95 | B- | 44.8 |
| 
| Lithuania | 99.95 | B | 46.3 |
| 
| Thailand | 99.94 | C- | 29.2 |
| 
| Serbia | 99.83 | C+ | 35.2 |
| 
| Austria | 99.80 | A- | 58.7 |
| 
| Belgium | 99.74 | A- | 58.7 |
| 
| Malta | 99.68 | B- | 40.8 |
| 
| Greece | 99.55 | B- | 40.1 |
| 
| Czechia | 99.36 | B+ | 51.8 |
| 
| Germany | 99.32 | A | 64.2 |
| 
| Croatia | 99.32 | C+ | 38.5 |
| 
| Poland | 99.14 | B | 45.6 |
| 
| Lebanon | 99.13 | D | 19.8 |
| 
| Estonia | 99.08 | B | 49.5 |
| 
| Latvia | 99.01 | B | 45.8 |
| 
| Romania | 98.88 | C+ | 39.4 |
| 
| North Macedonia | 98.88 | C- | 28.3 |
| 
| Slovakia | 98.87 | B- | 43.6 |
| 
| Luxembourg | 98.75 | B+ | 53.8 |
| 
| Israel | 98.57 | B+ | 50.1 |
| 
| Malaysia | 98.51 | C+ | 35.5 |
| 
| India | 98.44 | C- | 29.4 |
| 
| Montenegro | 98.43 | C | 34.6 |
| 
| Syria | 98.41 | | |
| 
| Norway | 98.31 | B+ | 55.0 |
| 
| Myanmar | 98.28 | | |
| 
| Sweden | 98.22 | A | 61.6 |
| 
| Ireland | 98.22 | B+ | 53.6 |
| 
| Azerbaijan | 98.03 | C- | 28.6 |
| 
| Qatar | 97.94 | C | 31.3 |
| 
| Denmark | 97.68 | A | 60.3 |
| 
| Algeria | 97.53 | D | 19.1 |
| 
| Tunisia | 97.46 | D+ | 24.8 |
| 
| United Arab Emirates | 97.39 | C+ | 35.9 |
| 
| Bangladesh | 97.32 | D | 16.9 |
| 
| Nepal | 97.31 | D | 18.3 |
| 
| Iceland | 97.25 | B+ | 52.0 |
| 
| Morocco | 97.24 | D+ | 22.6 |
| 
| Faroe Islands | 97.23 | | |
| 
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 97.13 | C- | 25.8 |
| 
| Argentina | 97.11 | B- | 40.5 |
| 
| Turkey | 97.00 | C | 33.4 |
| 
| Pakistan | 96.93 | D | 19.6 |
| 
| Moldova | 96.85 | C | 31.5 |
| 
| Egypt | 96.74 | D+ | 21.6 |
| 
| Uzbekistan | 96.54 | | |
| 
| Bulgaria | 96.54 | B- | 43.3 |
| 
| Brunei | 96.54 | | |
| 
| Cuba | 96.40 | | |
| 
| Chile | 96.34 | C+ | 37.8 |
| 
| Uruguay | 96.09 | C+ | 37.9 |
| 
| Ethiopia | 96.00 | D- | 10.3 |
| 
| Kazakhstan | 95.92 | C+ | 35.1 |
| 
| Jordan | 95.73 | C- | 26.0 |
| 
| Maldives | 95.71 | | |
| 
| Philippines | 95.68 | C- | 26.6 |
| 
| Ukraine | 95.66 | C+ | 38.3 |
| 
| Bolivia | 95.56 | D+ | 22.3 |
| 
| Ecuador | 95.45 | C- | 25.3 |
| 
| Brazil | 95.44 | C+ | 36.2 |
| 
| Trinidad and Tobago | 94.81 | | |
| 
| Libya | 94.76 | | |
| 
| Mauritius | 94.66 | C | 31.7 |
| 
| Colombia | 94.62 | C- | 27.9 |
| 
| Kyrgyzstan | 94.48 | C- | 27.2 |
| 
| Bahrain | 94.25 | C- | 29.6 |
| 
| Saudi Arabia | 94.07 | C | 30.2 |
| 
| Costa Rica | 93.80 | C | 32.4 |
| 
| Mexico | 93.64 | C | 30.7 |
| 
| South Africa | 93.63 | C | 33.0 |
| 
| Iraq | 93.62 | | |
| 
| Yemen | 93.43 | | |
| 
| Tajikistan | 93.39 | D+ | 23.1 |
| 
| Reunion | 93.25 | | |
| 
| Kuwait | 93.13 | C- | 29.8 |
| 
| Cambodia | 93.12 | D | 16.1 |
| 
| Zambia | 93.05 | D | 18.9 |
| 
| Puerto Rico | 93.01 | | |
| 
| Laos | 92.97 | D | 18.8 |
| 
| Palestine | 92.94 | | |
| 
| Nigeria | 92.76 | D- | 13.9 |
| 
| Venezuela | 92.61 | C- | 26.8 |
| 
| Paraguay | 92.38 | D+ | 24.5 |
| 
| Senegal | 92.26 | D- | 13.2 |
| 
| Oman | 92.18 | C- | 27.1 |
| 
| Jamaica | 92.00 | C- | 26.7 |
| 
| Benin | 91.96 | D- | 12.8 |
| 
| Kenya | 91.69 | D | 19.3 |
| 
| Panama | 91.65 | C- | 28.8 |
| 
| Zimbabwe | 91.64 | D- | 11.7 |
| 
| Ghana | 91.40 | D | 17.4 |
| 
| Guatemala | 91.35 | D+ | 22.8 |
| 
| Cameroon | 90.59 | D | 17.8 |
| 
| Honduras | 90.41 | D+ | 20.2 |
| 
| Ivory Coast | 90.37 | | |
| 
| Mozambique | 90.33 | D- | 10.9 |
| 
| Namibia | 90.29 | D | 18.9 |
| 
| Dominican Republic | 90.11 | D+ | 23.9 |
| 
| El Salvador | 90.00 | D+ | 21.7 |
| 
| Indonesia | 89.96 | D+ | 23.7 |
| 
| Botswana | 89.72 | D+ | 23.9 |
| 
| Tanzania | 89.57 | D- | 14.4 |
| 
| Afghanistan | 89.31 | | |
| 
| DR Congo | 88.60 | | |
| 
| Uganda | 88.49 | D- | 12.4 |
| 
| Gabon | 88.35 | | |
| 
| Angola | 87.89 | | |
| 
| Nicaragua | 87.75 | D+ | 22.5 |
| 
| Rwanda | 86.90 | D- | 9.9 |
| 
| Timor-Leste | 86.70 | | |
| 
| Somalia | 83.84 | | |
| 
| Madagascar | | D- | 9.0 |
| 
| Mali | | D- | 9.9 |
| 
| Malawi | | D- | 10.7 |
| 
| Chad | | D- | 10.3 |
| 
| Guinea | | D- | 6.8 |
| 
| Burundi | | D- | 8.8 |
| 
| Mauritania | | D- | 11.6 |
| 
| Lesotho | | D | 16.1 |
- Data from International IQ Test (IIT) are based on data from 1,352,763 participants worldwide who took the same IQ test on the website.
- The Intelligence Capital Index (ICI) was created by economist Kai L. Chan.
- 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.
- Substantial research on the subject of national IQs was conducted by psychologist Richard Lynn (1930-2023), working alongside 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.
- Hong Kong (107.73), South Korea (106.97), and China (106.48) report the highest average IQ scores globally.
- Higher national IQ averages are often associated with strong education systems, high levels of school attainment, good early childhood nutrition, and widespread familiarity with standardized testing formats.
- Rwanda (86.90), Timor-Leste (86.70), and Somalia (83.84) report the lowest average IQ scores globally.
- Lower national IQ averages are often linked to limited education opportunities, lower school completion rates, undernutrition in early childhood, and reduced exposure to standardized testing environments rather than fixed differences in cognitive ability.
- The average IQ in the world is typically standardized around 100 in most modern testing frameworks.
- Individual countries vary widely around this benchmark.
- Education Rankings by Country
- Nobel Prizes by Country
- PISA Scores by Country
- Smartest Countries
Key Findings
#### Countries with Highest Average IQ
#### Countries with Lowest Average IQ
#### What Is the Average IQ Globally?
Countries Ranked by Average IQ
Country IQ Comparison
Differences in national IQ averages are largely explained by variations in education quality, access to schooling, early childhood development, and familiarity with standardized testing, rather than fixed differences in cognitive ability.
Definitions & Methodology
Related Pages
Sources
1. Average IQ by country (2025 update) - The International IQ Test 2. Intelligence Capital Index - Kailchan 3. Pisa 2022 - OCED 4. Intelligence related to income and climate - World Data 5. The Intelligence of Nations - Ulster Institute 2019 6. Intelligence: A Unifying Construct for the Social Sciences - Ulster Institute for Social Research
