Most Accurate National IQs Possible
v2, updated
National IQ datasets have small differences in methodology that lead to discrepancies between datasets. If these differences are biased in different directions, then averaging them will lead to better results. In some cases, these differences in methodology result in massive differences between countries: one source claims that the Chinese IQ is about 89, while another claims that it’s 107. Because of this, I have made national IQ estimates that are derived from several different sources for maximum accuracy.
White British mean/SD set to 500/100.
Methodology: composite of various datasets. Paper will be out in a few months.
Preprint is now out!
name NIQ SDI
1 Singapore 108.70000 1.687
2 Japan 105.89700 1.536
3 Taiwan 105.20000 1.320
4 Hong Kong SAR China 104.64660 1.681
5 Macao SAR China 103.90000 1.275
6 South Korea 103.84000 1.460
7 Estonia 101.86000 1.314
8 Liechtenstein 101.42791 1.595
9 Canada 100.88000 1.425
10 Finland 100.86000 1.638
11 China 100.20000 0.612
12 Netherlands 100.07800 1.732
13 Switzerland 99.52625 1.728
14 Ireland 99.10000 1.604
15 United Kingdom 99.07998 1.510
16 Australia 98.62232 1.522
17 Germany 98.54290 1.659
18 Vietnam 98.52000 0.172
19 Sweden 98.40867 1.698
20 Czechia 98.28121 1.354
21 Austria 98.26110 1.644
22 New Zealand 98.14656 1.340
23 Belgium 98.10623 1.482
24 Denmark 98.00048 1.721
25 Poland 97.81798 1.037
26 Slovenia 97.74377 1.422
27 Russia 97.69036 0.625
28 United States 97.68221 1.344
29 Hungary 97.40508 1.039
30 Norway 97.39731 1.698
31 France 96.88265 1.503
32 Latvia 96.76777 1.032
33 Iceland 96.71545 1.658
34 Luxembourg 96.63198 1.620
35 Italy 96.21024 1.350
36 Slovakia 96.06727 1.035
37 Lithuania 95.88660 1.059
38 Belarus 95.80318 0.638
39 Spain 95.60833 1.474
40 Croatia 95.51562 1.052
41 Portugal 95.13447 1.323
42 Israel 93.94738 1.398
43 Mongolia 93.37000 -0.141
44 Malta 92.89953 1.444
45 Greece 92.78280 1.045
46 Cyprus 92.69565 1.162
47 Ukraine 92.30848 0.211
48 Bulgaria 91.52844 0.670
49 Serbia 91.27537 0.657
50 Greenland 90.66979 0.090
51 Turkey 89.75437 0.486
52 Bermuda 89.50237 1.008
53 Palau 89.28701 0.012
54 Cook Islands 89.16000 NA
55 Malaysia 89.00069 0.697
56 Kazakhstan 88.78659 0.441
57 Armenia 88.63293 0.328
58 Chile 88.28733 0.725
59 Uruguay 88.27624 0.679
60 Moldova 88.13262 0.205
61 Bosnia & Herzegovina 88.12702 0.421
62 Samoa 88.00000 -0.120
63 Cuba 87.90000 0.156
64 North Korea 87.90000 0.606
65 United Arab Emirates 87.77320 1.003
66 Thailand 87.55610 0.499
67 Suriname 87.46000 -0.167
68 Romania 87.33750 0.742
69 Bahrain 87.31846 0.885
70 Trinidad & Tobago 87.01091 0.271
71 Mauritius 86.83461 0.354
72 Montenegro 86.74884 0.650
73 Marshall Islands 86.50000 -0.431
74 Costa Rica 85.98468 0.505
75 Argentina 85.74974 0.486
76 Azerbaijan 85.71742 0.108
77 Mexico 85.66327 0.280
78 Brunei 85.56828 0.872
79 Georgia 85.04488 0.280
80 Laos 84.77000 -0.658
81 Kuwait 84.26000 0.932
82 Jordan 84.14224 0.232
83 Cambodia 84.10000 -0.578
84 Albania 83.97757 0.280
85 Uzbekistan 83.95250 0.040
86 Iran 83.93070 0.080
87 Qatar 83.66712 1.078
88 Brazil 83.57976 0.227
89 North Macedonia 83.43619 0.415
90 Tunisia 83.29771 0.011
91 Myanmar (Burma) 83.23217 -0.665
92 Tajikistan 83.02566 -0.386
93 Puerto Rico 82.52460 0.629
94 Dominican Republic 82.41000 -0.103
95 Peru 82.37179 0.006
96 Colombia 82.30471 0.135
97 Iraq 82.26880 -0.319
98 Ecuador 82.04000 -0.045
99 Seychelles 81.97321 0.461
100 Libya 81.95746 -0.152
101 Indonesia 81.89600 -0.059
102 Venezuela 81.82911 -0.420
103 Lebanon 81.82387 0.152
104 Barbados 81.76118 0.487
105 Bahamas 81.55014 0.317
106 Bolivia 81.37958 -0.427
107 Oman 81.27311 0.530
108 Fiji 81.27075 0.020
109 Turkmenistan 81.26000 0.049
110 Egypt 81.25500 -0.040
111 Northern Mariana Islands 81.16000 NA
112 Palestinian Territories 81.04223 -0.654
113 Tonga 80.78973 -0.141
114 Algeria 80.65844 -0.063
115 Kyrgyzstan 80.51000 0.011
116 Kiribati 80.45353 -0.957
117 Saudi Arabia 80.30492 0.675
118 El Salvador 79.87000 -0.103
119 Jamaica 79.82000 0.038
120 Eswatini 79.78134 -0.967
121 Sri Lanka 79.73877 0.109
122 Panama 79.65215 0.360
123 Syria 79.31904 -0.642
124 Honduras 79.30000 -0.490
125 Guatemala 78.78000 -0.502
126 Paraguay 78.76518 0.051
127 Gabon 78.61646 -0.693
128 Philippines 78.13921 -0.031
129 Kosovo 78.03664 0.437
130 Nicaragua 77.94700 -0.376
131 Bangladesh 77.71162 -0.611
132 Madagascar 77.58558 -1.512
133 Kenya 77.51551 -1.119
134 Maldives 77.26000 0.226
135 Timor-Leste 77.08136 -0.926
136 Zambia 76.99760 -1.317
137 Nepal 76.97770 -0.699
138 Burundi 76.81073 -1.526
139 India 76.49442 -0.561
140 Bhutan 76.39628 -0.349
141 Sudan 76.04285 -1.217
142 Dominica 75.83500 -0.022
143 Afghanistan 75.70000 -1.541
144 Morocco 75.61289 -0.142
145 Antigua & Barbuda 75.51261 0.323
146 Guyana 75.43081 -0.178
147 Solomon Islands 75.31068 -1.171
148 Comoros 74.81362 -1.141
149 Rwanda 74.76252 -1.225
150 Grenada 74.72005 0.107
151 Tanzania 74.60294 -1.220
152 Mozambique 74.43618 -1.488
153 Botswana 73.93014 -0.612
154 Nauru 73.56945 -0.452
155 Vanuatu 73.35805 -0.843
156 Mauritania 73.11243 -1.038
157 Haiti 72.74000 -1.401
158 Eritrea 72.28268 -1.482
159 Zimbabwe 72.14790 -1.293
160 Uganda 71.94815 -1.385
161 Senegal 71.82068 -0.956
162 Papua New Guinea 71.76660 -1.382
163 Lesotho 71.34056 -1.314
164 Cape Verde 71.26000 -0.342
165 Guinea 70.96785 -1.403
166 Pakistan 70.86444 -0.993
167 South Africa 70.76381 -0.236
168 Togo 70.53387 -1.295
169 Nigeria 70.25471 -1.183
170 Burkina Faso 69.83834 -1.382
171 St. Lucia 69.73834 0.088
172 Equatorial Guinea 69.66700 -0.987
173 St. Vincent & Grenadines 69.60953 0.012
174 Namibia 69.27155 -0.814
175 Congo - Brazzaville 69.08649 -1.285
176 Benin 68.73842 -1.335
177 Central African Republic 68.25215 -1.922
178 Angola 68.18462 -1.280
179 Cameroon 68.07071 -1.184
180 Ethiopia 67.94987 -1.361
181 Somalia 67.82319 -1.707
182 Belize 67.76590 -0.231
183 Yemen 67.69626 -1.319
184 Djibouti 67.41256 -1.096
185 Liberia 67.28394 -1.547
186 Côte d’Ivoire 66.46849 -1.112
187 Congo - Kinshasa 65.95386 -1.651
188 Mali 65.83521 -1.382
189 Chad 65.78462 -1.781
190 South Sudan 65.74046 -1.842
191 Guinea-Bissau 64.26000 -1.574
192 Malawi 64.08968 -1.326
193 Ghana 63.98964 -0.782
194 Gambia 63.70000 -1.189
195 Niger 62.43208 -1.631
196 Sierra Leone 62.36289 -1.567
197 SĂ£o TomĂ© & PrĂncipe 62.26000 -0.825World IQ: 85.6 weighted by population
Better is to predict many external outcomes and average across them to find the best set of estimates. This is best on the assumption that maximizing reliability and construct validity will maximizing predictive validity. I suggest you download the SPI and use the indicators as your outcomes. Average across them (remember to use absolute values, or reverse by the S factor loading), and see which set does the best. https://www.socialprogress.org/
National IQ have been my main obsession for the last few days. Spending countless of hours. Figuring out the correct numbers etc.
Thank you for this beautiful post seb. This feels like Christmas