Top 10 highest IQ Holders in the World

IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient and is a test that was devised to measure a person’s level of intelligence. The average IQ for the world population is 100 as the vast majority will fall between 70 and 130 in a given test. Although you may be the top person in your field that does not necessarily mean that you have a very high IQ, as the IQ is especially designed t measure all round intelligence, not just what a person has learnt in just one field. Here are who are widely thought to have been the top IQ holders, along with their IQ score.

10. Stephen Hawking, 160

Although Hawking was born in the UK, he holds the United States highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. A once time teacher of mathematics at Cambridge, he has submitted much work in the field of quantum mechanics and theorized on predictions on black holes.

9. Albert Einstein, 160

Born in Germany, Einstein was unable to get into college in Italy because of his overall low grades, however as he had high grades in mathematics and science, he was permitted to finish his schooling in Switzerland. He since won the Noble Peace Prize for his work in the field of sciences.

8. Kim Ung-yong, 170

Born in South Korea, by the time Kim was three years old he could speak several languages and by the time he was 14 he was appearing on Japanese television solving complex calculus problems. He is a civil engineer by profession.

7. Marilyn Vos Savant, 185

Born in the US, Marilyn, under an alias, writes for magazines and in 1985 was entered in to the Guinness Book of Records for being the highest IQ holder among women.

6. Isaac Newton, 190

Although apparently having a higher IQ than Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton is placed second behind him in important work in science. Newton’s specialty was in physics.

5. Leonardo Da Vinci, 190

Born in Italy Da Vinci’s curiosity was unquenchable and he strove to make invention after invention but his special talent was in the world of art and is responsible for painting some of the world’s best known paintings, like the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

4. Gary Kasparov, 190

Born in Soviet Russia, Kasparov started to learn chess at the age of 11; he was a junior champion by age 13. Thought by many to be the best ever chess player and is also a writer and political activist.

3. Christopher Langan, 195

Even though dropping out of school, Langan’s theories on the mind and reality are taken seriously and at one time he was called the most intelligent person in America.

2. William James Sidis, 197

Sidis was born in New York City and attended Harvard by the time he was 11. Later he was a teacher of mathematics was also known to know no less than 40 languages.

1. Abdesselam Jelloul, 198

His IQ was assessed in 2012 when it was found to be 198. He sat an advanced IQ test that incorporated 13 different aspects of intellect, yet still emerged with the highest IQ known.