The highest IQ in the world in 2024: The measurement of an individual’s intelligence is done through intelligence quotient (IQ), compiled from standardized tests that evaluate skills such as problem solving and memory.
An average score is usually around 100 points, and your IQ is considered in relation to the general intelligence of the population. If it is below 85, it is considered low, while an IQ of 130 or more indicates a higher level of intelligence, typical of the most intelligent 2% of the population.
It is difficult to assess intelligence accurately and it is always advisable to take IQ scores with some caution due to variables such as cultural differences. A study from Frontiers In Systems Neuroscience states that:
‘‘Intelligence test scores are often misinterpreted and can be used incorrectly.”
Additionally, it is important to remember that an IQ is not an absolute measurement.
For example, someone with an IQ of 130 is not 30% more intelligent than someone with an IQ of 100. With changes in tests over the years, it is also difficult to compare scores obtained at different times.
In theory, there is no limit to IQ scores. 200 is often considered the theoretical maximum, but there are individuals who have exceeded that number.
Who has the highest IQ in the world?
Terence Tao currently has the highest IQ in the world, with a score ranging between 225 and 230. If this Chinese-American mathematician reaches 230, he undoubtedly leads the ranking.
However, tied in the race for the title is Marilyn Vos Savant. His IQ, recorded in the Guinness World Records, was 228, obtained between 1986-1989 until the record was suspended in 1990, because IQ scores were considered too unstable to document.
Christopher Hirata has the second highest confirmed IQ, with an impressive score of 225. There have been others with equal or higher scores. Again, it is worth noting that IQ scores should be taken with caution, especially for those from before the invention of the IQ test.
Who has had the highest IQ in history?
Determining who has had the highest IQ in history is a complex task. Many geniuses lived in a time when the IQ test simply did not exist. The validity of those said to have taken an intelligence test is also doubtful, as official records are difficult to find.
Despite everything, this has not prevented some humans from being proclaimed as having the highest IQ in history.
William James Sidis
Said to be the most intelligent individual who ever lived, William James Sidis is the gold standard for childhood prodigies. It is said that he was able to read the newspaper when he was only 18 months old and entered Harvard University at the age of 11, graduating at the age of 16.
He composed several studies, including the creation of a constructed language in the Book of Vendergoord (age 8) and The Animate And The Inanimate (addressing cosmology and the reversibility of the second law of thermodynamics and predicting the existence of black holes) .
In Psychology For The Millions, Abraham Sperling recounts how Helena Sidis (William’s sister) told him that “a few years before his death, his brother Bill took an intelligence test with a psychologist.”
Sperling clarifies that William Sidis’ “score was the highest ever obtained. In terms of IQ, the psychologist estimated the figure to be between 250 and 300.
However, in the years since then, claims about Sidis’s IQ have been highly disputed.
Ada Lovelace
The first computer scientist, Ada Lovelace, is often cited when discussing the smartest people who have ever lived. Through his work on the analytical engine, he practically invented the first computer program the world had ever seen.
Christopher Michael Langan
Christopher Michael Langan is reported to have an IQ of 195, making him often considered one of the most intelligent people in the world. This controversial figure has aligned himself with conspiracy theories and claims that the existence of God can be proven mathematically.
Albert Einstein
Often seen as one of the smartest people who ever lived, it is sometimes argued that Einstein’s IQ was actually lower than you might imagine. However, since the test did not exist when Einstein lived, it is impossible to know how smart this famous scientist really was.
Leonardo da Vinci
Another often considered one of the most intelligent individuals in history, Leonardo da Vinci was a mathematician, engineer, botanist, cartographer, and much more, making it difficult to highlight a single achievement.
Sho Yano
Sho Yano was a college student at the young age of nine and became a doctor at 21. This made him “the youngest student in the history of the University of Chicago to receive an MD,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
Catherine Johnson
You probably know mathematician Katherine Johnson if you’ve seen the Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures. His work was crucial in NASA’s early space missions and played a role in taking astronauts John Glenn and Alan Shephard into space. Johnson’s orbital calculations were even used on the Apollo missions.
Stephen Hawking
What more can be said about Stephen Hawking? The legend of The Simpsons is one of the most recognized theoretical physicists and cosmologists in history. He showed that black holes radiate energy, slowly shrink and explode in a flash of gamma rays, with Hawking radiation becoming a key cosmological theory.
Frequently Asked Question
Who is the girl with the highest IQ in the world?
This is Anwita Patil, from Sale, near Manchester (United Kingdom). She scored 162, the highest possible in her age category, placing her above scientists considered to have an IQ of around 160.
How do I know what my IQ is?
Although there are different tests to determine IQ, in our country one of the best-known tests is usually used: the Wechsler scales. In the case of adults, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale or WAIS is used and in the case of children, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or WISC is used.
What is the average IQ of a 15 year old boy?
According to the results of standardized tests, the average IQ (intelligence quotient) is 100; Normal ranges are between 90 and 110.
Who has an IQ of 300?
William James Sidis (IQ of 250-300)
Among the highest IQ in history, William Sidis has always topped the list (until now) with the highest coefficient, reaching a score of 250-300 in his intellectual evaluation, which is why he is currently considered the most intelligent person in the world. world.
Who is the smartest man alive?
Terance Tao is the most intelligent man in the world
He is an Australian mathematician born in 1975. His father says that he was a child prodigy who, at the age of 2, taught mathematics and English to another three years older than him. He has two brothers and one of them is considered one of the best chess players in Australia.
Which celebrity has the highest IQ?
On the other hand, in the international arena, Marilyn Monroe is crowned in this list of celebrities, surpassing Albert Einstein himself by only five points (160 IQ). Although among the heavyweights Cindy Crawford, Matt Damon, Paris Hilton and Nicole Kidman also stand out.
What does it mean to have an IQ of 200?
An IQ score of 100 is understood as average, while a score above 140 or more is interpreted as within the “genius or genius level.”
Who has an IQ of 190?
Mathematicians and chess players
Another of the most intelligent men alive in the world is, according to this study, the well-known chess player Garry Kasparov (190 IQ).
How to know your IQ at 14 years old?
That is, we must divide the person’s mental age by their chronological age, and then multiply it by 100. With this result we can affirm that this 14-year-old adolescent has an IQ of 114 according to his age.
How do you know if a person is gifted?
A child or person is considered gifted when their intelligence is above average. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a person is considered gifted as someone whose Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is above 130.
How is a person’s mental age calculated?
The mental age of a person is equivalent to that of the population group that, statistically, has a similar intellectual development to that person, and is calculated based on various intelligence tests, usually questionnaire type.
Who has an IQ of 180?
James Woods (180 C.I.)
This American actor, who has been nominated twice for the American Film Academy Oscars and has won three Emmy Awards, obtained the best grade in the verbal university entrance tests.
How much IQ does a 14 year old girl have?
Generally speaking, the IQ scores of 14-year-olds range from 95-105.
Who is the most intelligent Mexican?
Adhara Pérez has an IQ of 162, above that of Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking. But that’s not all: he already graduated from high school and is at university studying two degrees.
What happens if I have a 100 IQ?
There are no problems or difficulties in learning or integration. 12% of the population falls within this parameter. IQ 100: this value is the intellectual average, although it is not an absolute index since it varies and ascends on a larger scale.
What does it mean to have an IQ of 140?
In the case of those we might consider geniuses, we will tell you that geniuses are the top 1% of their field. Well, they are the few that have an IQ greater than 140 and represent approximately 1 in every 1,000 people. But being a genius is not a common phenomenon.