While Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is not the sole measure of intelligence, it does provide a benchmark for understanding exceptional cognitive abilities. People with the highest IQs in the world are regarded as individuals whose minds crack codes, unlock scientific breakthroughs, and push the boundaries of human understanding.
William Shakespeare (L), Marilyn vos Savant (C) and Thomas Wolsey (R) are recognised for having the highest IQs ever. Photo: Stock Montage, Paul Harris, Universal History Archive (modified by author)
Source: UGC
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To compile the list of individuals with the highest IQs worldwide, we drew data from various reputable sources, including Reader’s Digest, WFLA, and BBC Science Focus Magazine. Many of these individuals are celebrated as top scientists, known for their ability to analyse complex situations and devise innovative solutions quickly.
25 people with the highest IQs ever
Have you ever wondered who the most intelligent person on Earth might be? Below is a list of some of the world’s most brilliant minds with the highest IQ scores recorded in history.
NoNameIQ score1YoungHoon Kim2762Marnen Laibow-Koser2683Ainan Cawley2634William Sidis250–3005Terence Tao2306Marilyn vos Savant2287Christopher Hirata2258Kim Ung-Yong2109William Shakespeare21010Nathan Leopold21011Edith Stern200+12Michael Grost200+13Sho Yano20014Michael Kearney200–32515Thomas Wolsey20016Evangelos Katsioulis198–20517Christopher Michael Langan19518Garry Kasparov19419Rick Rosner192–19820James Clerk Maxwell190–20521Voltaire190–20022Isaac Newton190–20023Srinivasa Ramanujan18524Adragon De Mello18525Leonardo da Vinci180–220
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1. YoungHoon KimFull name: YoungHoon KimDate of birth: 7 February 1992IQ score: 276 Nationality: South Korean
YoungHoon Kim is a South Korean intellectual with the highest recorded IQ score of 276. He has the official world record certificate for being the world’s highest IQ. YoungHoon Kim is the Founder & President of the United Sigma Intelligence Association (USIA).
2. Marnen Laibow-KoserFull name: Marnen Laibow-KoserDate of birth: 1982IQ score: 268Nationality: Egyptian
Marnen Laibow-Koser, who scored an extraordinary 268 on a childhood IQ test, displayed remarkable talent from an early age. He began studying, playing, and composing music at 3 years old. Today, Marnen Laibow-Koser is a composer, a web application developer, and a graduate of the New England Conservatory.
3. Ainan Cawley
Ainan Cawley while still young (L). Ainan Cawley as a teenager (R). Photo: @j_tsatsakis (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Ainan Celeste CawleyDate of birth: 23 November 1999IQ score: 263Nationality: Singaporean
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With an IQ of 263, Ainan Cawley displayed exceptional intellectual abilities from a young age. By nine, he could recite pi to 518 decimal places. At six, he delivered a science lecture on acids and alkaloids, and by seven, he had passed the O Level Chemistry exam designed for 16-year-olds.
4. William Sidis
American child prodigy and mathematician William James Sidis (1898 – 1944), circa 1915. Photo: Archive Photos
Source: UGCFull name: William James SidisDate of birth: 1 April 1898IQ score: 250–300 Nationality: American
William James Sidis was an American mathematical prodigy who joined Harvard University at age 11 and displayed remarkable talent in numerous fields, including mathematics, history, and languages. He also authored books under various pseudonyms, such as The Animate and the Inanimate and was known to be conversant in about 25 languages and dialects.
5. Terence Tao
UCLA Mathematician Terence (cq) Tao in his home Monday, 18 September 2006, in Los Angeles. Photo: Richard Hartog/Los Angeles Times
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Terence TaoDate of birth: 17 July 1975IQ score: 230 Nationality: Australian
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Terence Tao is a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He holds the James and Carol Collins Chair in the College of Letters and Sciences. Tao is renowned for his work in partial differential equations, combinatorics, harmonic analysis, and additive number theory.
6. Marilyn vos Savant
Marilyn Vos Savant photographed in San Diego. Photo: Paul Harris
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Marilyn vos SavantDate of birth: 11 August 1946IQ score: 228Nationality: American
Marilyn vos Savant is an American magazine columnist, author, and lecturer. Between 1986 and 1989, she held the title of the person with the highest recorded IQ in the world. Since 1986, she has written the popular Ask Marilyn column for Parade magazine, where she answers readers’ questions on various topics.
7. Christopher Hirata
Dr. Christopher Hirataposes for a picture on the red carpet for the 6th annual 2018 Breakthrough Prizes at Moffett Federal Airfield. Photo: MediaNews Group/Bay Area News
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Christopher Michael HirataDate of birth: 30 November 1982IQ score: 225Nationality: Japanese-American
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Christopher Hirata is a Japanese-American cosmologist and astrophysicist. He gained recognition at a young age by winning a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad at just 13 years old. Hirata’s research focuses on cosmology and astrophysics.
8. Kim Ung-Yong
Three-year-old Kim Ung-Yong studying under physics professor Allen D. Schneed at the University of Michigan. Photo: Bettmann / Contributor (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Kim Ung-YongDate of birth: March 8 1962IQ score: 210Nationality: South Korean
Kim Ung-Yong is a civil engineer and former child prodigy who gained international fame for his extraordinary intellectual abilities. By age three, he could solve calculus problems; by age five, he was solving complex differential equations on Japanese television. He was invited to work at NASA at eight, making him one of the youngest workers.
9. William Shakespeare
Undated illustration of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), English dramatist. Photo: Bettmann / Contributor
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: William ShakespeareDate of birth: 23 April 1564IQ score: 210Nationality: English
William Shakespeare is celebrated as the greatest English-speaking writer and playwright in history. With an estimated IQ of 210, his timeless works—such as Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream—continue to be read, performed, and studied worldwide.
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10. Nathan Leopold
Nathan Leopold Jr. is being held by the Chicago police for questioning about the murder of Robert Franks. Photo: NY Daily News
Source: UGCFull name: Nathan Leopold Jr.Date of birth: 1900sIQ score: 210Nationality: American
Nathan Leopold was born in Chicago in the early 1900s. He had an IQ of 210 and spoke for the first time at the age of four months. In 1924, he eliminated a 14-year-old kid with his companion, Richard Loeb, in an attempt to accomplish “the perfect crime.”
11. Edith Stern
Edith Helen Stern gives illustrations of the blackboard. Photo: @SakPiyade (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Edith Helen Stern Date of birth: 1952IQ score: 200+Nationality: American
Edith Helen Stern is an American inventor and one of the best mathematicians. She is known for her remarkable intellectual achievements from a young age. At five, she read the Encyclopedia Britannica and graduated from Florida Atlantic University at fifteen.
12. Michael Grost
Michael Grost poses for a photo in a brown jumper and red T-shirt. Photo: @SalMsft on X (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Michael Edward GrostDate of birth: 1954IQ score: 200+Nationality: American
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Michael Grost attended Michigan State University in 1964 at age ten. With an IQ of over 200, he received his doctorate in mathematics at age 23. In 2005, he worked as a system architect for a Detroit-based computer company.
13. Sho Yano
Pictured in this 2004 file photo, Sho Yano, 13, a teen medical student at the University of Chicago, assists in the DNA repair lab of Dr. Doug Bishop in Chicago, Illinois. Photo: Chris Walker
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Sho Timothy YanoDate of birth: 22 October 1990IQ score: 200Nationality: American
Sho Yano is an American physician and former child prodigy. He is renowned for his remarkable intellect, with an estimated IQ of 200. In 2009, at 18 years old, he earned a doctorate in molecular genetics and cell biology.
14. Michael Kearney 
Michael Kearney is cited as having an IQ of 200 to 325. Photo: @TruueDiscipline (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Michael Kevin Kearney Date of birth: 18 January 1984IQ score: 200–325Nationality: American
In 1994, at just 10 years old, Michael Kearney earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama. By age 14, he had completed a master’s in chemistry at Middle Tennessee State University.
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15. Thomas Wolsey
‘Cardinal Wolsey Going in Procession to Westminster Hall’, 1887, (c1920). Photo: The Print Collector
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Thomas Wolsey Date of birth: March 1473IQ score: 200Nationality: English
Cardinal Thomas Wolsey was one of the last politically important clergymen in England. The cardinal was appointed Lord Chancellor and commanded England’s foreign affairs. He supposedly had an IQ of 200. Wolsey was captured and charged with treason in 1530 and died en route to his trial.
16. Evangelos Katsioulis
Evangelos Katsioulis is alleged to have scored 205 on the Stanford Binet test. Photo: @TruueDiscipline (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Evangelos KatsioulisDate of birth: 19 January 1976IQ score: 198–205Nationality: Greek
Evangelos Katsioulis is a Greek physician, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist with doctoral degrees in philosophy and information technology. He is the founder of the World Intelligence Network and is said to have an IQ of 198 to 205.
17. Christopher Michael Langan
Christopher Michael Langan has an IQ of 195. Photo: @didunodis on X (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Christopher Michael LanganDate of birth: 25 March 1952IQ score: 195Nationality: American
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Christopher is an American horse rancher and former bar bouncer who excelled on an IQ exam and gained admission to a high-IQ society. He began speaking at six months old and learnt to read before turning four. Langan is most known for his cognitive theoretical model of the universe, which he created in the 1980s and is called “the CTMU.”
18. Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov attends The Future Of Democracy with Garry Kasparov and John Avlon at the 92NY, New York in New York City. Photo: Jason Mendez
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Garry Kimovich KasparovDate of birth: 13 April 1963IQ score: 194Nationality: Russian
Garry Kasparov is recognised as one of the top individuals with the highest IQ globally, boasting an estimated IQ of 194. He is a legendary chess grandmaster who held the title of World Chess Champion from 1985 to 2000. Notably, at 22, Kasparov became the youngest to claim the world chess championship.
19. Rick Rosner
Rick Rosner in a library. Photo: Marc Royce
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Richard G. Rosner Date of birth: 2 May 1960IQ score: 192–198Nationality: American
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Richard G. Rosner is an American television writer and reality TV personality. He is well-known for his purported high intellect test results and unique professional background. He created and produced numerous quiz shows and Jimmy Kimmel-produced programs, including The Man Show, Crank Yankers, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!
20. James Clerk Maxwell
James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879). Scottish physicist. Photo: Stefano Bianchetti (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: James Clerk Maxwell Date of birth: 13 June 1831IQ score: 190–205Nationality: Scottish
James Clerk was a Scottish physicist and mathematician. He was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation. Maxwell’s equations for electromagnetism achieved the second great unification in physics. Maxwell was also key in the creation of statistical mechanics.
21. Voltaire
Portrait of French writer, essayist and philosopher Francois Marie Arouet de Voltaire (1694-1778). Photo: The Print Collector
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: François-Marie ArouetDate of birth: 21 November 1694IQ score: 190–200Nationality: French
François-Marie Arouet, better known as Voltaire, was estimated to have an IQ ranging between 190 and 200. Born in 1694, he became one of France’s most celebrated writers and philosophers, renowned for his sharp wit, satirical works, and bold criticism of the nation’s elite and nobility.
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22. Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1665, becoming Lucasian Professor of Mathematics there in 1669. Photo: SSPL
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Sir Isaac NewtonDate of birth: 4 January 1643IQ score: 190–200Nationality: English
Sir Isaac Newton, with an estimated IQ of 190 to 200, was a scientist and physicist far ahead of his time. He is renowned for his universal principles of gravity. Sir Isaac Newton was also a mathematician, astronomer, and writer.
23. Srinivasa Ramanujan
Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar was an Indian mathematician. Photo: @TruueDiscipline (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Srinivasa Ramanujan Aiyangar Date of birth: 22 December 1887IQ score: 185Nationality: Indian
Srinivasa Ramanujan is regarded as one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century. He discovered his passion for mathematics at age 15 and, with an estimated IQ of 185, is celebrated for his contributions to number theory.
24. Adragon De Mello
Young Adragon De Mello poses for a photo. Photo: SalmaMsft on X (modified by author)
Source: UGCFull name: Adragon De MelloDate of birth: 8 October 1976IQ score: 185Nationality: American
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Adragon De Mello made history as the youngest college graduate, earning a degree in computational mathematics at just 11 years old. He could read and write by age two and joined Mensa at 5. While his IQ was once reported as an extraordinary 400, more conservative estimates place it at around 185.
25. Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci – Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, writer, scientist, architect and engineer. Photo: Culture Club
Source: Getty ImagesFull name: Leonardo da VinciDate of birth: 15 April, 1452IQ score: 180–220Nationality: Italian
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath. He is regarded as one of the greatest artists, best known for masterpieces like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper. Da Vinci was also an accomplished scientist, engineer, inventor, and anatomist, with notebooks filled with innovative ideas and detailed human body studies.
Who has the highest IQ now?
YoungHoon Kim, with a 276 IQ, is currently recognised as having the highest IQ in the world. The Korea Record Institute, World Genius Directory, Global Genius Registry, Esoteriq Society, and GIGA Society have verified his IQ.
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What is Einstein’s IQ?
Albert Einstein, a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of relativity, is said to have had an IQ score of around 160.
Who are the famous world leaders with the highest IQ?
According to World Data 3D, some examples of the smartest leaders known for their high IQ include Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Fumio Kishida, Viola Amherd, Xi Jinping and Isaac Herzog.
These people with the highest IQ in the world stand out in the field of intelligence due to their remarkable cognitive ability. But, it is crucial to remember that IQ is only one component of a person’s talents and does not represent all types of intelligence.
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