🏆 Verified Reader's Digest & High-IQ Society Archive
Top 50 Highest IQs in the World: Live Global Leaderboard
Explore the verified benchmark ranking of the highest recorded intelligence quotients across human history. Calibrated to the standard Wechsler Gaussian scale (μ=100, σ=15).
2
ML
Marnen Laibow-Koser
undefined
268
Standardized IQ
Fields Medal
👑 #1 RECORDED IQ
1
YK
YoungHoon Kim
undefined
276
Standardized IQ
Highest Recorded
3
AC
Ainan Cawley
undefined
263
Standardized IQ
Guinness Record
⭐ Direct Answer: Who holds the highest recorded IQ in the world?
YoungHoon Kim holds the highest verified IQ score in modern history with an evaluation of 276 IQ, verified across the World Memory Championships and international high-IQ societies. Historical figures such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (220) and Leonardo da Vinci (220) represent the highest estimated cognitive capacities of antiquity.
| Rank | Intellect & Background | Domain / Field | Biographical Citation | Verified IQ | Milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1 |
YK
YoungHoon Kim
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 276 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| 🥈 2 |
ML
Marnen Laibow-Koser
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 268 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| 🥉 3 |
AC
Ainan Cawley
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 263 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #4 |
WJ
William James Sidis
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 250 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #5 |
TT
Terence Tao
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 230 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #6 |
MV
Marilyn vos Savant
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 228 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #7 |
CH
Christopher Hirata
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 225 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #8 |
JW
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 220 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #9 |
KU
Kim Ung-Yong
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 210 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #10 |
WS
William Shakespeare
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 210 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #11 |
NL
Nathan Leopold
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 210 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #12 |
EK
Evangelos Katsioulis
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 205 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #13 |
ES
Edith Stern
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 203 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #14 |
MG
Michael Grost
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 202 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #15 |
DJ
Dylan Jones
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 201 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #16 |
SY
Sho Yano
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 200 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #17 |
TW
Thomas Wolsey
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 200 μ=100, σ=15 | Genius Tier |
| #18 |
CM
Christopher Michael Langan
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 195 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #19 |
RR
Rick Rosner
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 195 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #20 |
V
Voltaire
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 195 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #21 |
IN
Isaac Newton
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 192 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #22 |
GK
Garry Kasparov
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 190 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #23 |
MK
Michael Kearney
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 190 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #24 |
LD
Leonardo da Vinci
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 190 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #25 |
HO
Hypatia of Alexandria
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 190 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #26 |
PE
Philip Emeagwali
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 190 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #27 |
HG
Hugo Grotius
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 188 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #28 |
GW
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 188 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #29 |
SR
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 185 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #30 |
AD
Adragon De Mello
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 185 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #31 |
JS
John Stuart Mill
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 185 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #32 |
MC
Marie Curie
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 185 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #33 |
BP
Blaise Pascal
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 185 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #34 |
CV
Cleopatra VII
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 180 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #35 |
JW
James Woods
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 180 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #36 |
BN
Benjamin Netanyahu
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 180 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #37 |
JH
John H. Sununu
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 176 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #38 |
OM
Ophelia Morgan
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 171 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #39 |
JB
Jacob Barnett
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 170 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #40 |
JP
Judit Polgár
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 170 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #41 |
JQ
John Quincy Adams
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 170 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #42 |
ST
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 168 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #43 |
NT
Nikola Tesla
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 168 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #44 |
AE
Albert Einstein
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 165 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #45 |
PA
Paul Allen
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 165 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #46 |
FM
Fabiola Mann
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 162 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #47 |
AP
Adhara Pérez Sánchez
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 162 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #48 |
RW
Ramarni Wilfred
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 162 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #49 |
SH
Stephen Hawking
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 160 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
| #50 |
EM
Elon Musk
Global
|
Cognitive Sciences | Documented intellectual milestone. | 158 μ=100, σ=15 | Gifted |
1
YK
276
IQ Score
2
ML
268
IQ Score
3
AC
263
IQ Score
4
WJ
250
IQ Score
5
TT
230
IQ Score
6
MV
228
IQ Score
7
CH
225
IQ Score
8
JW
220
IQ Score
9
KU
210
IQ Score
10
WS
210
IQ Score
11
NL
210
IQ Score
12
EK
205
IQ Score
13
ES
203
IQ Score
14
MG
202
IQ Score
15
DJ
201
IQ Score
16
SY
200
IQ Score
17
TW
200
IQ Score
18
CM
195
IQ Score
19
RR
195
IQ Score
20
V
195
IQ Score
21
IN
192
IQ Score
22
GK
190
IQ Score
23
MK
190
IQ Score
24
LD
190
IQ Score
25
HO
190
IQ Score
26
PE
190
IQ Score
27
HG
188
IQ Score
28
GW
188
IQ Score
29
SR
185
IQ Score
30
AD
185
IQ Score
31
JS
185
IQ Score
32
MC
185
IQ Score
33
BP
185
IQ Score
34
CV
180
IQ Score
35
JW
180
IQ Score
36
BN
180
IQ Score
37
JH
176
IQ Score
38
OM
171
IQ Score
39
JB
170
IQ Score
40
JP
170
IQ Score
41
JQ
170
IQ Score
42
ST
168
IQ Score
43
NT
168
IQ Score
44
AE
165
IQ Score
45
PA
165
IQ Score
46
FM
162
IQ Score
47
AP
162
IQ Score
48
RW
162
IQ Score
49
SH
160
IQ Score
50
EM
158
IQ Score
How Do You Compare to History's Sharpest Minds?
Take our scientifically calibrated 20-question fluid intelligence matrix test and receive your verified Gaussian standing immediately. Zero fees, zero paywalls.
Benchmark Your IQ Now (Free) ⚡