Intelligence is a complex trait that is difficult to measure accurately. IQ tests are one of the most common methods that are used to assess intelligence, but they come with limitations as they measure only a person's ability to think logically, solve problems, and learn new information. However, IQ tests do not measure other important aspects of intelligence, which are creativity, social skills, and emotional intelligence.
Despite certain limitations, IQ tests can be a useful tool that can help identify children who may need extra help in school. They can also be a great tool that can be used to assess the cognitive abilities of adults who might be facing learning disabilities or other cognitive impairments.
Apart from being a helpful tool for people who are in need, IQ tests can also help determine individuals who have a higher IQ than others. These tests can be a measurement of a person's intelligence based on different criteria.
The highest IQ ever recorded is estimated to be between 250 and 300. However, it is important to note that IQ tests are not perfect, and there is some debate about the accuracy of the highest scores that have been recorded.
Some people believe that IQ tests are not a reliable measure of intelligence and that the highest scores are simply the result of test-taking skills rather than true intelligence. Others believe that people can have IQs of 250 or higher, but that these people are very rare.
Regardless of whether or not the highest IQ scores are accurate, here is a list of people to have the highest IQ:
- YoungHoon Kim
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
- Leonardo da Vinci
- James Clerk Maxwell
- Nicolaus Copernicus
- William James Sidis
- Carl Friedrich Gauss
- Nikola Tesla
- Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
- Christopher Hirata
- Terence Tao
- Marilyn Vos Savant
- Sho Yano
1. YoungHoon Kim
Source: Giga Society
In April 2024, the Giga Society, a group for people with very high IQs, announced that YoungHoon Kim from South Korea has the highest IQ in the world, with a score of 276. Kim advises several organisations, including the World Mind Sports Council and the World Memory Championships. He has achieved perfect scores on many intelligence tests and is also the president of the United Sigma Intelligence Association (USIA).
2. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Source: StageMilk
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German polymath, meaning that he had a wide range of knowledge and expertise in many different fields.
He was a scientist, poet, playwright, novelist, and artist. He was also a government official and diplomat.
Goethe's IQ is estimated to have been between 210 and 225. This is a very high IQ, and it is clear that Goethe was a highly intelligent individual.
Goethe's contributions to science were significant. He founded the science of human chemistry and developed an early theory of evolution. He also made important contributions to optics and mineralogy.
Goethe's contributions to literature are also significant. He is considered one of the greatest poets and playwrights of all time.
His poetic drama Faust is still studied and performed today. Goethe also wrote several novels, including The Sorrows of Young Werther and Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship.
Goethe's contributions to art are also significant. He was a skilled painter and sculptor. He also designed several buildings and gardens.
Goethe was a truly remarkable individual. He made significant contributions to science, literature, art, and government. He was a polymath in the truest sense of the word.
3. Leonardo da Vinci
Source: History.com
Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most brilliant and versatile minds of all time. He was a master of painting, sculpture, architecture, engineering, and science.
His IQ is estimated to have been between 180 and 220, which would have placed him among the most intelligent people in history.
Da Vinci was a prolific inventor, with designs for hundreds of machines and devices. Some of his most notable inventions include:
- A flying machine that was based on the flight of birds.
- An armoured vehicle that could withstand cannon fire.
- An adding machine that was far ahead of its time.
Da Vinci's inventions were often ahead of their time, and many of them were not built until centuries after his death. However, his ideas have had a profound impact on the development of technology.
In addition to his inventions, da Vinci was also a gifted artist. His paintings, such as the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, are considered to be among the greatest works of art ever created. He was also a skilled sculptor and architect.
4. James Clerk Maxwell
Source; Wikipedia
James Clerk Maxwell was a Scottish mathematical physicist who is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century.
His estimated IQ scores range from 190 to 205 by different measures. James’s work on electromagnetism laid the foundation for our understanding of radio waves, microwaves, and light.
Maxwell developed a set of four equations that describe the behaviour of electric and magnetic fields. These equations are known as Maxwell's equations, and they are one of the most important equations in physics.
Maxwell's equations predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves, which are waves that travel through space at the speed of light.
Electromagnetic waves include radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays, and gamma rays.
Maxwell's work on electromagnetism has had a profound impact on our understanding of the universe.
Electromagnetic waves are used in a wide variety of technologies, including radio, television, radar, microwave ovens, lasers, and medical imaging devices.
In addition to his work on electromagnetism, Maxwell also made significant contributions to other areas of physics, including thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and the kinetic theory of gases.
Maxwell was a brilliant and visionary scientist. His work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the universe and the development of modern technology.
5. Nicolaus Copernicus
Source: Wikisource
Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish mathematician and astronomer who is considered one of the most important figures in the history of science. His IQ ranked from 160 to 200.
He is best known for his heliocentric model of the solar system, which placed the sun at the centre rather than the Earth.
Copernicus's heliocentric model was a radical departure from the prevailing geocentric model, which had been the accepted view of the universe for centuries.
The geocentric model placed the Earth at the centre of the universe, with the sun and other planets orbiting around it.
Copernicus's heliocentric model was based on his careful observations of the planets and stars. He noticed that the planets did not move in perfect circles around the Earth, as the geocentric model predicted. He also noticed that the speed of the planets varied as they orbited the sun.
Copernicus concluded that the sun must be at the centre of the universe and that the planets orbit around it.
He published his heliocentric model in his book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres) in 1543.
Copernicus's heliocentric model was not immediately accepted by the scientific community. Many people found it difficult to accept that the Earth was not at the centre of the universe. However, over time, Copernicus's model gained acceptance, and it eventually replaced the geocentric model.
6. William James Sidis
Source: IMDb
William James Sidis was an American child prodigy with an estimated IQ of 200-300, making him one of the most intelligent people ever recorded.
He was able to read the New York Times by the age of two, and by the time he was six, he spoke eight languages, including English, Latin, French, German, Russian, Hebrew, Turkish, and Armenian.
Sidis was accepted to Harvard University at the age of nine, but the university refused to enrol him until he was 11, out of concern for his maturity.
Even so, Sidis quickly distinguished himself at Harvard, excelling in mathematics and philosophy. He was also a gifted musician and composer.
After graduating from Harvard at the age of 16, Sidis went on to study at Columbia University. However, he became increasingly disillusioned with academia and society as a whole.
He withdrew from public life and worked a variety of odd jobs, including as a waiter and a factory worker.
Sidis's life was marked by both brilliance and tragedy. He was a brilliant mathematician and philosopher, but he also struggled to cope with the pressures of fame and expectations. He died in poverty and obscurity in 1944 at the age of 46.
7. Carl Friedrich Gauss
Source: Wikipedia
Carl Friedrich Gauss was a German mathematician who is widely considered to be the greatest mathematician of all time. He had an IQ of 250 to 300
He made significant contributions to many areas of mathematics, including number theory, algebra, statistics, and analysis.
Gauss was a child prodigy. He could do complex math problems in his head at a very young age. At the age of 11, he discovered a method for calculating the sum of all the positive integers from 1 to 100.
This method, now known as Gauss's circle method, is still taught in schools today. Gauss made many important contributions to number theory.
He proved the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every polynomial with complex coefficients has at least one complex root. He also developed new methods for solving quadratic and cubic equations
8. Nikola Tesla
Source: OCD-UK
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer who is considered one of the most important figures in the history of electricity.
He was born in 1856 in Smiljan, Austria-Hungary (now Croatia), and emigrated to the United States in 1884. Tesla had a brilliant mind and had an IQ range from 160 to 310.
He made many important contributions to the field of electricity, including the development of alternating current (AC) electricity, which is the standard form of electricity used today.
Tesla also invented the Tesla coil, a device that generates high-voltage, low-current electricity.
Tesla's work on AC electricity was revolutionary.
At the time, direct current (DC) electricity was the dominant form of electricity, but Tesla argued that AC electricity was superior because it could be transmitted over long distances more efficiently. Tesla's AC system eventually won out, and it is now used all over the world.
Tesla's Tesla coil is another one of his most famous inventions. It is a device that generates high-voltage, low-current electricity.
Tesla coils are often used in science fiction movies and television shows, but they have also been used in some practical applications, such as wireless power transmission.
Tesla was a prolific inventor and held over 300 patents. He also had many visionary ideas about the future of technology, including the possibility of wireless communication and free energy.
9. Francois Marie Arouet (Voltaire)
Source: History and Biography
Francois Marie Arouet, better known by his pen name Voltaire was a towering figure in the French Enlightenment, a period of intellectual ferment and social reform that spanned the 18th century.
He was a prolific writer and philosopher, producing works in a wide range of genres, including essays, plays, poems, and novels.
Voltaire's satire was his most powerful weapon against the French government and aristocracy. He used irony, sarcasm, and hyperbole to expose the hypocrisy, corruption, and injustice of the ancient régime.
His most famous satirical work is the novel Candide, which tells the story of a young man who travels the world and learns that life is not always as rosy as it seems.
Voltaire's IQ of 190-200 is estimated based on his writings and other historical evidence. He was a brilliant thinker with a deep understanding of philosophy, history, and science. He was also a master of language and rhetoric.
10. Christopher Hirata
Source: The Lantern
Christopher Hirata is one of the most brilliant astrophysicists of our time. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the early universe, dark matter, and dark energy.
His work has been published in some of the most prestigious scientific journals, and he has received numerous awards for his research.
Hirata's IQ is estimated to be 225, which would place him in the top 0.001% of the population. This level of intelligence is truly exceptional, and it is no surprise that Hirata has been able to achieve such great things in astrophysics.
Hirata's most notable achievements include his work on the cosmic microwave background (CMB).
The CMB is the leftover radiation from the Big Bang, and it contains a wealth of information about the early universe.
Hirata has used the CMB to study the formation of the first stars and galaxies, and he has also used it to measure the properties of dark matter and dark energy.
Hirata has also made significant contributions to the study of gravitational lensing. Gravitational lensing is the phenomenon where light from distant objects is bent by the gravity of intervening objects.
Hirata has used gravitational lensing to study the structure of the universe on large scales, and he has also used it to search for dark matter.
11. Terence Tao
Source: UCLA Newsroom
Terence Tao is one of the most brilliant mathematicians of our time. He has made significant contributions to a wide range of mathematical fields, including number theory, harmonic analysis, and partial differential equations.
His work has had a profound impact on our understanding of these fields, and he is considered to be one of the leading mathematicians in the world.
Tao's IQ is estimated to be between 211 and 230, which would place him in the top 0.01% of the population.
This level of intelligence is truly exceptional, and it is no surprise that Tao has been able to achieve such great things in mathematics.
Tao's most notable achievements include his work on the Green-Tao theorem, which states that there are arbitrarily long arithmetic progressions of prime numbers.
He also made significant contributions to the study of the Navier-Stokes equations, which are a set of partial differential equations that describe the motion of fluids.
Tao has been awarded numerous awards for his work, including the Fields Medal, the most prestigious award in mathematics.
He is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
12. Marilyn Vos Savant
Source: CGTN America
Marilyn is an American author and a columnist who is known for her high IQ. According to United Sigma Intelligence Association, she has an IQ of around 230. Marilyn was born on August 11, 1946 in St. Louis Missouri to Joseph Mach and Marina Vos Savant.
Marilyn studied at Meramec Community College and later went for a philosophy degree at Washington University. However, she left the college after two years because she had to help her family with their investment business.
It was in the 1980s when she took her career into priority and moved to New York City to start writing. She started writing Q quizzes and articles about intelligence testing for Omni magazine.
Later, she married Robert Jarvik on August 23, 1987. He is one of the developers of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart. She became the Chief Financial Officer of Jarvik Heart, Inc. During her career, she started to serve on the board of directors of the National Council on Economic Education, joined advisory boards of the National Association for Gifted Children and the National Women’s History Museum, and later became a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry.
It was the year 1999 when the Toastmasters International named her one of the “Five Outstanding Speakers,” and in 2003, The College of New Jersey awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.
Marilyn was listed under the "Highest IQ" category in the Guinness Book of World Records from 1985 to 1989. In 1988, she entered the Guinness Hall of Fame as Guinness removed the “Highest IQ” category in 1990 because they decided IQ tests were not reliable enough to name a single record holder.
The Guinness mentioned two IQ tests that were taken by Marilyn which were the Stanford-Binet and the Mega Test.
When Marilyn was 10 years old, she took the 1937 version of the Stanford-Binet test. She said the test, taken in September 1956, showed she had a mental age of 22 years and 10 months, giving her an IQ score of 228. This score appeared in Guinness and her own books and interviews.
She later took the Mega Test in the mid-1980s. Her raw score was 46 out of 48, which translates to an IQ of 186.
After she was listed in the Guinness in 1986, the famous Parade magazine started a profile on her which featured questions from readers and she gave the answers to those questions. The response was quite high and that gave the birth to the "Ask Marilyn."
In this column, she answered a variety of academic questions, solved logic and math puzzles, and created quizzes.
She had many famous columns, such as the Monty Hall Problem, the Two Boys Problem, and Fermat’s Last Theorem.
13. Sho Yano
Source: Times NIE
Sho Timothy Yano (Sho Yano) was a gifted child. He first came into the limelight when he graduated from the University of Chicago at the age of 12. This achievement made him the youngest person to earn a bachelor’s degree from the university.
At the age of 21, Sho earned a medical degree from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. This made him one of the youngest doctors in the U.S.
Sho Timothy Yano was born in 1990 to Katsura and Kyung, who belong to Japan and South Korea, respectively. Sho began to show signs of high intelligence at a very young age as he began to read by the age of two, which was followed by writing by three, and playing classical piano by the age of four. He went to the Mirman School, which is famously known for supporting gifted children.
According to sources, Sho scored 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT exams. He was a brilliant student and finished high school through the American School of Correspondence by the age of 9 and entered Loyola University Chicago in the same year. He graduated summa cum laude at age 12.
Moving further in his life, Sho joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine. He earned his PhD in molecular genetics and cell biology in 2009 at the age of 18 and completed his medical degree in 2010 at a mere age of 21. This makes him the youngest graduate in the history of the University of Chicago’s medical school. He later started his residency in pediatric neurology there.
