South Korea tops Global IQ Ranking 2026 for the first time

South Korea has claimed the top spot in the latest international IQ ranking for the first time, recording the highest average score among the countries included in the report, 24NewsHD TV reported on Saturday. 

According to the 2026 ranking, the results of nearly 1.2 million people from 126 countries were analysed.

All participants took the same online IQ test during 2025.

Ironically, Pakistan ranks 205th on the list of countries by average IQ.

South Korea recorded an average score of 106.97, based on results from around 27,000 participants.

The country had ranked second in the previous year’s list.

China came second with an average score of 106.48, followed by Japan with 106.3.

Iran ranked fourth with 104.8, while Australia made notable progress to take fifth place with an average score of 104.45.

Russia, Singapore, Mongolia, New Zealand, and Vietnam were also among the countries with relatively high average scores. The United States ranked 18th with an average score of around 101.

East Asian countries dominated the top positions. Experts often link strong performance in such tests to education systems that place emphasis on mathematics, science, discipline, and early education.

Many of these countries also perform strongly in international student assessments.

However, rankings based on different studies and datasets can vary.

Earlier assessments have, at times, placed countries such as Japan, Taiwan and Singapore at the top.