Average IQ by Country: Global Rankings & 4-Year Trend Analysis (2022 - 2026)
This report analyzes global cognitive trends based on 83,000+ validated assessments collected from 2022 to 2026. By comparing our 4-year baseline against data from the last 12 months, we offer a unique look at recent shifts in country averages. While this is a self-selected online dataset rather than a clinical census, the scale of our 4-year history provides high statistical significance for precise country-to-country comparisons.
Quick answer (top and bottom countries)
Top 5 and bottom 5 countries by mean IQ in the current view, with a minimum sample size of 200.
- #1
ChinaIQ 106.6N: 3,741 | 95% CI: 106.1 to 107.1 - #2
JapanIQ 105.4N: 5,390 | 95% CI: 105 to 105.8 - #3
Hong KongIQ 104.6N: 781 | 95% CI: 103.5 to 105.7 - #4
South KoreaIQ 103.6N: 6,991 | 95% CI: 103.3 to 103.9 - #5
AustraliaIQ 103.0N: 225 | 95% CI: 100.9 to 105.1
- #1
IraqIQ 95.2N: 258 | 95% CI: 93.1 to 97.3 - #2
Saudi ArabiaIQ 95.2N: 331 | 95% CI: 93.7 to 96.7 - #3
EgyptIQ 95.4N: 586 | 95% CI: 94.3 to 96.5 - #4
UkraineIQ 96.7N: 20,554 | 95% CI: 96.5 to 96.9 - #5
ThailandIQ 97.9N: 1,356 | 95% CI: 97.1 to 98.7
- China currently sits near the top with N=3,741 in the Validated view.
- Across countries, the mean range spans about 11.4 IQ points in this view.
- Care matters: leaders like China invest about 50% more time than average. Time alone is not a guarantee of success (see Saudi Arabia).
IQ map by country
Click a country to jump to its row. Use search to focus on a specific country.
Country rankings (mean IQ, CI, N)
Full sortable rankings with mean, CI, sample sizes, and validation rate.
| Trend(Last 12 Months) | 95% CI | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#1 | China | 106.6 +0.2 ^ | +0.2 ^ | 3,741 | 106.1 to 107.1 | 3,741 | 33.4% | 53:06 | 2026-04-01 |
#2 | Japan | 105.4 +0.5 ^ | +0.5 ^ | 5,390 | 105 to 105.8 | 5,390 | 40.8% | 44:03 | 2026-04-01 |
#3 | Hong Kong | 104.6 +0.3 ^ | +0.3 ^ | 781 | 103.5 to 105.7 | 781 | 36.8% | 46:15 | 2026-04-01 |
#4 | South Korea | 103.6 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 6,991 | 103.3 to 103.9 | 6,991 | 31.2% | 38:24 | 2026-04-01 |
#5 | Australia | 103 +1.4 ^ | +1.4 ^ | 225 | 100.9 to 105.1 | 225 | 37.8% | 43:21 | 2026-04-01 |
#6  | Taiwan | 102.6 -0.7 v | -0.7 v | 1,849 | 102 to 103.2 | 1,849 | 36.2% | 43:16 | 2026-04-01 |
#7  | Italy | 101.8 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 1,042 | 100.9 to 102.7 | 1,042 | 30.2% | 44:02 | 2026-04-01 |
#8  | United States of America | 101.7 0.0 = | 0.0 = | 1,510 | 100.9 to 102.5 | 1,510 | 36.5% | 47:03 | 2026-04-01 |
#9  | Sweden | 101.3 +0.5 ^ | +0.5 ^ | 445 | 99.9 to 102.7 | 445 | 34.1% | 51:18 | 2026-04-01 |
#10  | Canada | 101.1 -0.6 v | -0.6 v | 478 | 99.6 to 102.6 | 478 | 40.6% | 42:36 | 2026-03-31 |
#11  | Switzerland | 101.1 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 374 | 99.7 to 102.5 | 374 | 35.0% | 41:38 | 2026-04-01 |
#12  | Netherlands | 101.1 -0.2 v | -0.2 v | 1,093 | 100.2 to 102 | 1,093 | 37.4% | 41:50 | 2026-04-01 |
#13  | Belgium | 101 -1.0 v | -1.0 v | 317 | 99.4 to 102.6 | 317 | 46.3% | 36:47 | 2026-04-01 |
#14  | Belarus | 101 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 658 | 99.9 to 102.1 | 658 | 36.6% | 41:09 | 2026-04-01 |
#15  | France | 101 0.0 = | 0.0 = | 1,158 | 100.2 to 101.8 | 1,158 | 38.4% | 39:56 | 2026-04-01 |
#16  | Austria | 100.9 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 515 | 99.6 to 102.2 | 515 | 42.4% | 36:26 | 2026-04-01 |
#17  | Finland | 100.8 +0.2 ^ | +0.2 ^ | 667 | 99.6 to 102 | 667 | 33.5% | 48:13 | 2026-04-01 |
#18  | Germany | 100.6 +0.1 ^ | +0.1 ^ | 4,385 | 100.2 to 101 | 4,385 | 44.0% | 43:39 | 2026-04-01 |
#19  | United Kingdom | 100.4 +0.4 ^ | +0.4 ^ | 622 | 99.3 to 101.5 | 622 | 36.9% | 42:10 | 2026-03-30 |
#20  | Indonesia | 100.2 -0.2 v | -0.2 v | 267 | 98.1 to 102.3 | 267 | 23.1% | 35:16 | 2026-03-31 |
#21  | Spain | 100.1 +0.9 ^ | +0.9 ^ | 422 | 98.7 to 101.5 | 422 | 36.4% | 41:07 | 2026-03-30 |
#22  | Greece | 100.1 -0.1 v | -0.1 v | 509 | 98.8 to 101.4 | 509 | 30.7% | 40:37 | 2026-04-01 |
#23  | Russia | 99.8 +0.8 ^ | +0.8 ^ | 12,967 | 99.6 to 100 | 12,967 | 31.4% | 40:05 | 2026-04-01 |
#24  | Denmark | 99.7 +0.3 ^ | +0.3 ^ | 389 | 98 to 101.4 | 389 | 36.9% | 41:04 | 2026-03-28 |
#25  | Hungary | 99.6 0.0 = | 0.0 = | 709 | 98.5 to 100.7 | 709 | 32.2% | 36:50 | 2026-04-01 |
#26  | Czech Republic | 99.3 +0.3 ^ | +0.3 ^ | 997 | 98.4 to 100.2 | 997 | 40.3% | 38:07 | 2026-04-01 |
#27  | Norway | 99.2 +0.3 ^ | +0.3 ^ | 352 | 97.6 to 100.8 | 352 | 35.8% | 40:12 | 2026-04-01 |
#28  | Estonia | 99 +1.4 ^ | +1.4 ^ | 309 | 97.6 to 100.4 | 309 | 39.2% | 40:24 | 2026-04-01 |
#29  | Brazil | 98.7 -0.7 v | -0.7 v | 422 | 97 to 100.4 | 422 | 29.3% | 46:36 | 2026-04-01 |
#30  | Kazakhstan | 98.7 +0.4 ^ | +0.4 ^ | 934 | 97.8 to 99.6 | 934 | 29.1% | 43:42 | 2026-04-01 |
#31  | Uzbekistan | 98.5 +1.0 ^ | +1.0 ^ | 393 | 97 to 100 | 393 | 18.3% | 40:47 | 2026-03-29 |
#32  | Slovakia | 98.4 -0.1 v | -0.1 v | 1,343 | 97.7 to 99.1 | 1,343 | 35.4% | 36:56 | 2026-03-31 |
#33  | Algeria | 98.3 -0.5 v | -0.5 v | 329 | 96.8 to 99.8 | 329 | 23.2% | 37:13 | 2026-03-31 |
#34  | Poland | 98.3 -0.2 v | -0.2 v | 1,970 | 97.7 to 98.9 | 1,970 | 36.0% | 36:25 | 2026-04-01 |
#35  | Romania | 98.3 +0.5 ^ | +0.5 ^ | 865 | 97.3 to 99.3 | 865 | 29.5% | 43:36 | 2026-04-01 |
#36  | Turkey | 98.2 -0.7 v | -0.7 v | 3,250 | 97.7 to 98.7 | 3,250 | 25.1% | 38:02 | 2026-04-01 |
#37  | Bulgaria | 98 -0.4 v | -0.4 v | 628 | 96.9 to 99.1 | 628 | 35.8% | 37:00 | 2026-03-31 |
#38 | Thailand | 97.9 +1.0 ^ | +1.0 ^ | 1,356 | 97.1 to 98.7 | 1,356 | 17.6% | 34:32 | 2026-04-01 |
#39 | Ukraine | 96.7 0.0 = | 0.0 = | 20,554 | 96.5 to 96.9 | 20,554 | 33.2% | 35:24 | 2026-04-01 |
#40 | Egypt | 95.4 +0.6 ^ | +0.6 ^ | 586 | 94.3 to 96.5 | 586 | 24.0% | 36:02 | 2026-03-25 |
#41 | Iraq | 95.2 -0.7 v | -0.7 v | 258 | 93.1 to 97.3 | 258 | 22.8% | 38:11 | 2026-03-26 |
#42 | Saudi Arabia | 95.2 +0.4 ^ | +0.4 ^ | 331 | 93.7 to 96.7 | 331 | 26.7% | 52:13 | 2026-03-28 |
Compare countries
Compare mean, CI, N, distribution range, time, and validation rate in the current view.
Sample size by country (N)
Bars are stacked (validated + unvalidated). Showing the top 40 by all-results N.
Why sample size matters
The statistical stability of a mean depends directly on sample size (N). Countries like Ukraine (N=61,855) and Russia (N=41,328) usually yield tighter confidence intervals, while smaller samples can swing more between updates. We intentionally show both validated and unvalidated results for full transparency of the data basis.
Validation rate by country
Validated vs all results, plus the validation rate by country.
Quality assurance: validated vs all results
The validation rate shows how many tests passed our quality checks (for example duplicate attempts, bot-like activity, or incomplete sessions).
- High data quality: In the current view, Germany (44%) and Austria (42.4%) are among the strongest validation rates.
- Transparency: The gap between the bars shows how much raw traffic we filter out. In total we exclude 186,771 records (68.3%) to protect the statistical core of the IQ mean.
Why this matters: "All Results" captures broad reach, while "Validated" is the cleaner core for robust country comparisons.
IQ distribution by country (p10-p90)
Shows the middle 80% (p10 to p90) and the middle half (p25 to p75). Select up to 5.
Select up to 5 (0/5)
Average time taken by country
Average time taken for the top countries by N in the current view.
💡 The paradox of completion time
Our analysis shows that in Raven-style matrix reasoning, time can play two different roles:
- 🧠Efficient depth: Countries like China and Japan combine very high completion times (44.0-53.1 Min.) with top scores. On complex matrices, this points to the mental stamina needed to solve difficult rules systematically.
- ⚠️Compensatory time: Using Saudi Arabia as an example (52.2 Min. at IQ 95.2), we see that time alone is not a guarantee of success. Longer duration can also reflect limited test routine, language friction in instructions, or technical constraints.
Conclusion: Higher time investment is often a prerequisite for top scores, but it can also reflect cultural differences in how people approach non-verbal tests.
How to interpret country differences
- Selection effects: who chooses to take an online test differs by country.
- Language and device comfort can shift results on timed tasks.
- Test familiarity and pacing vary across regions and cultures.
- Repeat attempts, VPN usage, and access patterns can affect averages.
- Differences are usually small and groups overlap a lot - do not over-interpret rank order.
Method and data notes
- Country is self-reported and not independently verified.
- Results are from an online, self-selected dataset - not population norms.
- This does not mean a country causes higher IQ.
- Scores start as percentiles, then we rescale them to 100 +/- 15.
- If you only look at rank order, you will overread tiny differences - check CI and N.
Download, cite, and embed
UniversalIQTest.com. Average IQ by Country (accessed 2026-04-02). https://www.universaliqtest.com/statistics/average-iq-by-country
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FAQ
Use the table or compare tool to see the current mean, CI, and sample size.
This dataset is self-selected and online. Differences can reflect selection, language, device, and pacing rather than population differences.
No. These are online test results summarized as dataset statistics, not population norms.
No. This page shows associations in our dataset and should not be read as causal.
Validated results pass quality checks; all results include unvalidated submissions.