The brain is the most mysterious part of the human body. It is the most essential parts of our system. But what is really with the brain that make other people seem to be so smart? Some call them abnormalities but others take it as a gift. There is alot of most intelligent people all around the world. We are only left amazed and interested to find out who are the smartest people in the world? And what they have accomplished.
Let us take a look at the people with the highest IQ ever recorded. The 15 most intelligent people in the world.
Who Has the Highest IQ?
The concept of IQ (Intelligence Quotient) has always intrigued people, and the quest to find the individuals with the highest IQs often leads to fascinating discoveries about human potential and intelligence. Here, we explore some of the highest IQ scores ever recorded and the extraordinary individuals who achieved them.
15. Michael Kearney
IQ 190s
Michael Kearney made headlines in 1994 when, at the age of 10, he graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology. This remarkable achievement earned him a place in the Guinness World Records as the world’s youngest college graduate, a title he still holds. According to a report by the Los Angeles Times the following year, Kearney’s IQ was estimated to be “nearly 200.”
Kearney’s academic accomplishments did not stop there. At age 14, he earned a master’s degree in chemistry from Middle Tennessee State University. By 18, he had obtained another master’s degree, this time in computer science from Vanderbilt University. His academic journey culminated at age 22 when he received his PhD in chemistry from Middle Tennessee State University. Kearney’s incredible intellect and rapid educational progress continue to inspire and astonish.
14. Garry Kasparov
Garry Kasparov is alleged to have an IQ of 190.
Kasparov has totally amazed the world, when he played to a draw against a chess computer that could calculate three million positions per second in 2003. He is a chess grandmaster from Russia. At the age of 22, he became the youngest undisputed world champion by defeating then-champion Anatoly Karpov.
13. Philip Emeagwali
Emeagwali is alleged to have an IQ of 190.
Philip Emeagwali is a Nigerian-born engineer, mathematician, computer scientist and geologist. He was one of two winners of the 1989 Gordon Bell Prize, a prize from the IEEE, for his use of a Connection Machine supercomputer to help detect petroleum fields.
12. Marilyn vos Savant
Marilyn vos Savant has a verified IQ of 190.
In 1985, The Guinness Book of World Records accepted vos Savant’s IQ score of 190. According to marilynvossavant.com; She was crowned the woman with the highest IQ for five consecutive years. She has tested as high as 228 on various IQ tests. In addition, she is a popular columnist for Parade Magazine. Through “Ask Marilyn,” readers can send puzzles and questions on different subjects for vos Savant to solve and answer.
11. Mislav Predavec
Mislav Predavec is alleged to have an IQ of 192.
The Croatian maths professor Mislav Predavec ranked 7th on the list of the 10 most intelligent people in the world. He is the founder and president of the GenerIQ Society. An elite organization of the most intelligent people in the world. He is also the owner and director of a trade company.
10. Rick Rosner
Rick Rosner is alleged to have an IQ of 192.
Gifted with an amazing IQ of 192. By simply looking, Rick Rosner would not be thought of as one of the most intelligent people in the world. He has a rough and tough demeanor, having spent a number of years as a bar bouncer. He is an American television producer best known for creating the television show CHiPs. Rosner later developed a portable satellite television in partnership with DirecTV.
9. Christopher Langan
Christopher Michael Langan has a verified IQ of 195.
Langan is an American autodidact with an IQ reported to be between 195 and 210. He has been described as “the smartest man in America” as well as “the smartest man in the world” by the media. He began talking at six months. In addition, he taught himself to read when he was just 3 years. Langan has developed a “theory of the relationship between mind and reality” which he calls the “Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe” (CTMU).
Christopher Michael Langan, a man of diverse backgrounds, is known for his remarkable IQ score of 195. Langan’s early life was quite unconventional—he worked as a cowboy and a bouncer before becoming a horse rancher, independent researcher, and “reality theorist.” His extraordinary intelligence was evident from a very young age; he began speaking at just 6 months old and learned to read before he turned 4.
8. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis
Evangelos Katsioulis is alleged to have an IQ of 198.
Known for his high intelligence test scores. Dr. Evangelos Katsioulis is a Greek national who works as a medical doctor and psychiatrist. He has earned degrees in philosophy, medical research technology and psychopharmacology. He is the founder of the World Intelligence Network (WIN); An international organization of high IQ societies. Also, he found the organization AAAA.GR, a pioneer voluntary team for the detection and support of gifted individuals in Greece. Katsioulis is also a good painter and a decent swimmer.
7. Kim Ung-Yong
Kim Ung-Yong has a verified IQ of 210.
With a verified IQ of 210, Korean civil engineer Ung Yong is considered the master in child prodigy. At the age of 6 months he was able to speak and understand Korean and other languages. At the age of 3 years, he could read several languages already, including; Korean, Japanese, German and English, as well as solve complex calculus problems as exposed live on Japanese television. He was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under “Highest IQ”.
6. Christopher Hirata
Hirata has a verified IQ of 225.
Christopher Hirata was genius from his childhood. When just 13, he made waves by getting a gold medal at the international physics Olympiad. At the age of 16, he was working with NASA in its mission of conquering Mars. At the age of 22, he obtained his Ph.D at the Princeton University. Hirata is an authorized child genius. He is an American cosmologist and astrophysicist. Currently, he is teaching astrophysics at OSU’s Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics (CCAPP).
5. Terence Tao
Terrence Tao has a verified IQ of 230.
Gifted with an amazing IQ of 230, Terence Tao is at No. 5 position in this list of most intelligent people of the world. He is an Australian-born Chinese American mathematician. He is working in harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, additive combinatorics, ergodic Ramsey theory; Random matrix theory, and analytic number theory. At just 8 years, Tao achieved a score of 760 on the pre-1995 SAT, received a Ph.D from Princeton at 20 and at 24 became the youngest ever full professor at UCLA. He received inspiring awards; like the 2003 clay research award, the Bôcher Memorial Prize in 2002 and Salem Prize in 2000, are just few of them.
4. William Sidis
IQ 250–300
William Sidis, often compared to Matt Damon’s character in “Good Will Hunting,” had an IQ estimated to be between 250 and 300. Enrolling at Harvard University at the age of 11 and graduating at 16, Sidis was a true prodigy. His sister Helena recalled that a psychologist who tested Sidis’ IQ was astonished by his scores, which were unprecedented. Despite his early achievements, Sidis’ claim to such a high IQ has been subject to debate.
3. Ainan Cawley
Ainan Cawley has a verified IQ of 263.
Ainan Celeste Cawley, a former child prodigy with an IQ of 263, possesses talents across various fields. Born to a Singaporean mother and an Irish father, Cawley was recognized for his diverse skills from a young age. By the age of eight, he was already a scientist, mathematician, computer programmer, and self-taught pianist and composer. He began studying chemistry at Singapore Polytechnic before turning ten. In 2011, Cawley and his father received a patent from the World Intellectual Property Organization for a method they developed to enhance precocity and create prodigies.
2. Marnen Laibow-Koser
Marnen Laibow-Koser has a verified IQ of 268.
Marnen Laibow-Koser, a musical prodigy, reportedly achieved a projected IQ score of 268 during his childhood. His musical journey began at the age of three, and he has since developed a multifaceted career as a composer, performing musician, web developer, music copyist, and engraver. Laibow-Koser holds a master’s degree in contemporary improvisation from the New England Conservatory. He continues to live and work in Randolph, Massachusetts, where he embraces his identity as a “post-hippie arts geek.”
1. YoungHoon Kim
YoungHoon Kim has a verified IQ of 276.
In April 2024, the Giga Society, an elite organization for individuals with IQs above 190, announced that South Korean YoungHoon Kim holds the highest IQ in the world, with a staggering score of 276. Kim is a prominent intelligence specialist advisor at several global mind sports organizations, including the World Mind Sports Council, World Memory Championships, World Speed-Reading Championship, and World Mind Mapping Championship. His perfect scores on various high-range intelligence tests highlight his exceptional cognitive abilities. Additionally, Kim serves as the president and executive director of the United Sigma Intelligence Association (USIA).
The smartest people know that there is always something left to learn. In generally aware of all the things they don’t know. In addition, their opinions are more informed and less concrete. The listed above are some of the world’s smartest people. They all are well-known most intelligent people of the world.