Highest IQ in the World: 13 Most Extraordinary Minds

Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is one of the key factors in deciding a human’s intelligence level. Over the past few decades, we have seen humans with extraordinary IQ levels, which isn’t possible to have as a common human being, and today, I’m going to talk about some of the highest IQs in the world, which you know about.

An average person has an IQ between 85 and 115, but as I said earlier, some people have more IQ than an average person, and in the below list, you’ll find them.

13 People with Highest IQ in the World:

Here are the 13 people with the highest IQs the world has ever seen:

1. Stephen Hawking (160IQ):

Stephen Hawking, one of the most popular social figures in the world, was known as an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist and had an IQ of about 160, which is way higher than any other normal person. He was born in Oxford, United Kingdom (UK), in 1942 and passed away at 76 in 2018.

Stephen Hawking is known for many things. However, the most popular thing about him was the black and cosmology theories. If you have been into physics and gravity, you may have heard about him, and If you aren’t a physics person, I’m sure you may have heard at least once about him because of his huge popularity worldwide.

2. Albert Einstein (160-190IQ):

Albert Einstein is undoubtedly one of the most popular scientists of all time, known for his contributions to the field of physics. He was born in the year 1879 in Germany and passed away in the United States in 1955 at the age of 76. Coincidentally, both Hawking and Einstein passed away at the age of 76.

He was among the most intelligent people of all time, with an IQ of about 160-190. No country in the world ignores the intelligence of this popular personality. Albert Einstein’s most popular contribution in his lifetime is the theory of relativity.

3. Nicolaus Copernicus (160-200IQ):

Nicolaus Copernicus was the first person to formulate the concept of the universe that revolves around the sun. You may have heard about the term called “Heliocentrism.” Nicolaus is the person behind that concept and the term.

He was born in 1473 in Toruń, Poland, and died at 70 in Royal Prussia, Polan. Nicolaus is known to have an IQ of around 160 and 200, which only a handful of people in the world have till now. He has mastered the skills of Astronomy, Economics, Medicine, and a few more.

4. Nikola Tesla (160-310IQ):

Do you know who is behind the alternate current used in your home, office, malls, and other places? If not, let me introduce you to Nikola Tesla, who invented this technology. Nikola, a Serbian-American inventor, had an IQ of 160 and 310, which is extremely extraordinary. He was very intelligent in various fields and a futurist at that time.

He was born in Smiljan, Croatia, in 1956 and died at 87 in 1943 in New York, United States of America. One of the rivals of Nikola Tesla was Thomas Edison, who is also a popular name in the field of science and technology.

5. Jacob Barnett (170IQ):

Jacob Barnett is a young prodigy from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. He was born in 1998, and at just 2 years old, he was diagnosed with moderate to severe autism. Everyone felt he was not to be very successful, but he proved everyone was when he went from grade 6 to 12 in just a year. Seems like a miracle, right? But it is because Jacob has an IQ of 170, which isn’t very common today.

At just 10, he went to college, and then at 13, he became a published physicist, which is a remarkable achievement at this age. Currently, he is residing in Waterloo, Canada, continuing his education. He is one of the few people with the highest IQ person in the world alive today. Yes, that’s right, because most people on our list of highest IQs worldwide have passed away.

6. Cleopatra (180IQ):

Many people may not know Cleopatra because she was a historical figure born around 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. She is rumored to have an IQ of around 180, which is quite high. If you have into history, you may have read about her as Cleopatra was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt from 51 to 30 BC.

Cleopatra had a long reign of 22 years and was one of the most successful queens of that time. Cleopatra died by suicide at the age of just 39. Even after so many centuries, Cleopatra is a popular historical figure. She is the only girl with the highest IQ in the world on our list. There might be some other girls, too, but on our list of 13 people, only Cleopatra has the place.

7. Leonhard Euler (180-200IQ):

Leonhard Euler is yet another popular historical figure who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, and engineer. He was born in 1707 in Basel, Switzerland, and died in 1783 at 66 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Leonhard Euler is reported to have an IQ of around 180 and 200.

If you have been involved with the subject of Mathematics, I’m sure you have read or at least heard about Leonhard Euler, as he is considered one of the best mathematicians of all time, and that’s why his IQ is quite high compared to a normal person.

8. Leonardo da Vinci (180-220IQ):

I’m pretty sure you may have seen masterpieces of Leonardo da Vinci all over the social media platforms and some other places, but do you know that he was also an engineer, scientist, and theorist with an IQ of around 180 and 220? Yes, that’s right. He had a massive IQ, which everyone dreams of having.

Leonardo da Vinci is known for painting the most popular drawings, Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. Even today, his paintings are being admired worldwide. He was born in 1452 in Anchiano, Italy, and died at 67 in Château du Clos Lucé, Amboise, France.

9. James Maxwell (190 to 205IQ):

James Maxwell was a Scottish scientist who is known for the theory of electromagnetism. Due to his inventions, he was praised by Albert Einstein multiple times during his career. James Maxwell supposedly had an IQ of around 190 and 205.

Once upon a time, Albert Einstein was asked if he had stood on the shoulders of Isaac Newton for his massive contribution to the field, and he answered, “No, I don’t. I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell”. He was born in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, and passed away at just 48 in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

10. William Sidis (200 to 300IQ):

William Sidis was an American mathematician and linguist with a massive IQ of around 200 and 300. He was born in New York, United States, 1898 and passed away in 1944 in Massachusetts, United States. People studying or studying mathematics may know him as one of the greatest mathematicians because of his intelligence in this field.

You’ll be shocked that he was accepted by the prestigious Harvard University at just 9, mainly because of his excellent intelligence. He tried to join an Ivy League university but couldn’t due to age restrictions.

11. Johann Goethe (210–225):

Johann Goethe had so many qualities that many people only dream of. He was a poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, and statesman born in 1749 in Goethe House, Frankfurt, Germany. He had a massive Intelligence Quotient (IQ) of around 210 and 225, which I think is pretty amazing.

Johann was known for his long list of qualities and is considered one of the most influential literature ever. He has written many books during his career, and some of the popular ones are:

• May Song.
• Theory of Colours.
• Italienische Reise.
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.
• Egmont: A Tragedy.
• Elective Affinities.
• West-östlicher Diwan.
• Wanderer’s Nightsong.

He passed away at the age of 83 in Weimar, Germany.

12. Terence Tao (211 to 230IQ):

Terence Tao is an Australian mathematician who was born in 1975. He is known by the name “Mozart of Math” because of his high intelligence in this subject. Terence Tao has an IQ of around 211 and 230 and is one of the living people with the highest IQ in the world right now.

In 2015, he won a mathematics award, reportedly around $3 million, which isn’t a small amount. Terence Tao is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, USA. If you are looking for a mathematics figure who can take some inspiration in today’s world, then Terence is the guy you can look up to.

13. Carl Gauss (250 to 300IQ):

The last person on our list is Carl Gauss, who has an IQ of between 250 and 300. He was a German mathematician and physicist born in 1777. He has worked on many things in mathematics, which is still admired today.

Carl has made massive contributions to mathematics, such as number theory, geometry, probability theory, geodesy, planetary astronomy, and much more. He is considered to be one of the most influential mathematicians of all time. If you have been into maths before, you must have surely read or at least heard about him. He passed away in the year 1855 in Göttingen, Germany.

Final Words:

In today’s world, having an IQ is quite important to excel in any field, but many people have massive IQs even without the technology that you and I have today. If you are looking for people with the highest IQ in the world for inspiration, you can look at any of these 13 people, and you’ll have a lot to learn from these people.

I hope you find this post helpful and learn something new today. If you have any questions or suggestions you want me to add to this list, let me know in the comments below, and I’ll make that happen for you. Thanks.