Ranking of the world’s most intelligent people in 2025

Which are the most intelligent people in the world? In an increasingly globalized world, many will have asked themselves these questions.

First of all, however, it must be specified that it is not easy to determine which are the most intelligent countries in the world, since much depends on the criteria used to draw up these rankings.

For example, one could decide to identify as a factor of "intelligence" the victory of the Nobel prizes in a given country or the number of scientific discoveries.

However, these parameters, like the quality and access to education, undeniably favor the "richer" countries that can boast a better school system. After all, a graduate is not necessarily more intelligent than an illiterate person who, perhaps, simply has not had the opportunity to study.

Generally speaking, however, when trying to make a ranking of the most intelligent people, reference is made to the intelligence quotient (IQ) of people who live in a place, rather than evaluating other results.

Let’s look at the ranking of the most intelligent people in the world in detail, also taking a look at the countries that have a better education system.

People with the highest IQ in the world: the ranking

The study we will refer to in order to draw up the ranking of the people with the highest IQ in the world is the Intellectual Capital Index, published in 2024.

The Intellectual Capital Index is based on indicators such as the level of education, innovation and research, in addition to the results of various intelligence tests conducted in the past.

Here is what the top 10 of the most intelligent countries in the world looks like according to this ranking, with the score obtained by adding the various parameters together in brackets.

1. South Korea (77.86)
2. China (75.00)
3. Germany(73.69)
4. Switzerland (72.16)
5. Japan (72.05)
6. United Kingdom (71.89)
7. Sweden (71.53)
8. USA (70.14)
9. Singapore (69.68)
10. Finland (67.53)

This would make South Korea the smartest country in the world, with Northeast Asia and Europe dominating this ranking.

Italy is in 21st place with an overall score of 62.40, finishing behind France and the Netherlands - as well as the already listed Germany and the United Kingdom - but ahead of Spain.

World’s Smartest Countries Ranking (by Education Level)

Another study conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) took into account the adult education level to determine the smartest nations in the world.

Based on this factor, therefore, Canada was found to be the smartest country in the world, followed by Japan in second place and Israel in third place. Here too, Italy is in the top ten.

World’s Smartest Countries:

If instead we consider the number of registered patents, scientific contributions and investment in research and development, to calculate the level of intelligence of a country, this would be the Top5.

1. United States
2. Germany
3. Japan
4. Switzerland
5. Sweden

Regardless of what the indicators are, it seems clear that these rankings are dominated by the Richer Countries which however would not be more intelligent, but only those with a better school system.

Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Classifica popoli più intelligenti al mondo: dov’è l’Italia?