Perhaps it’s something in our NEWater, or the way our rigorous education system is built. But despite our limited resources, Singapore is certainly big on brains, according to the latest Official International IQ report. We’re among the top five countries with the highest average IQs in the world, as well as number one in Southeast Asia.
Although often thrown about in jest, perhaps the saying holds some truth: “No matter how good you are at something, there’s always an Asian kid who can do it better than you.” Asian countries happen to occupy all the top spots of the highest IQ ranking, with China, South Korea, and Japan on the winner’s podium. Iran comes shortly after in fourth place, followed by Singapore, which boasts an average IQ of over 105.
Other Asian neighbours of ours in the top 20 list include Mongolia (#7), Sri Lanka (#12), and Thailand (#15). As for the Western world, Russia (#6) is the highest-ranking, while Australia (#9) and Spain (#10) narrowly make the top 10.
To derive the ranking, participants from all over the globe took part in the same IQ test, and scores were tabulated accordingly, with over 120 countries ranked. Try the IQ test out for yourself here, and check out the full list of average IQs around the world here.
Top 20 countries with the highest IQ in the world
- China
- South Korea
- Japan
- Iran
- Singapore
- Russia
- Mongolia
- Armenia
- Australia
- Spain
- New Zealand
- Sri Lanka
- Slovenia
- Canada
- Thailand
- Belarus
- France
- Serbia
- Italy
- Switzerland
Countries with the highest IQ in Asia
- China
- South Korea
- Japan
- Singapore
- Mongolia
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Vietnam
- India
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