Intelligence is difficult to measure with a single test or reduce to a mere number. We know this, yet we’re still amazed by how high some IQ scores can be. Take a look at the 30 people with the highest IQs in the world!

William Sidis – IQ 250-300

William Sidis, the real-life inspiration for Matt Damon’s character in Good Will Hunting, began studying at Harvard at just 11 years old and graduated at 16. According to his sister, Sidis once took an IQ test, and the psychologist claimed they had never seen scores that high before. He passed away from a stroke in 1944 at the age of 46.

Christopher Hirata – IQ 225

Christopher graduated from high school at 14 and immediately pursued a degree in physics at the California Institute of Technology. He later earned a PhD in physics from Princeton University and has been a professor in Ohio State University’s physics and astronomy departments since 2013, specializing in dark energy and astrophysics.

Edith Stern – IQ 200+

When Edith was born, her father decided he would make her the perfect human being. With no baby talk and classical music playing throughout her early years, she read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica by the age of 5 and started college at 12. By 18, she had already earned her PhD in mathematics and was working at IBM.

Rick Rosner – IQ 192-198

Rick Rosner has had quite a career. He worked as a bouncer, stripper, and nude model before becoming a television writer. He began writing for shows like Crank Yankers, The World’s Funniest!, and Jimmy Kimmel Live!, earning one Emmy nomination and six Writers Guild nominations. In 2001, Rosner made headlines when he sued ABC after losing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? at the $16,000 level, though he ultimately lost the case.

Isaac Newton – IQ 190-200

Sir Isaac Newton was a true visionary. While he’s most famous for his laws of gravity, Newton was also a mathematician, astronomer, and writer. He made major contributions to the understanding of light and motion and is the reason we endure high school calculus. He developed the methods of integration and differentiation that are still used today.

Michael Kearney – IQ 190

At just 10 years old, Michael Kearney graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology, earning a Guinness World Record as the youngest college graduate—a title he still holds. Kearney went on to earn a master’s degree in chemistry at 14, another master’s in computer science at 18, and a PhD in chemistry by the age of 22.

Christopher Michael Langan – IQ 195

Christopher Michael Langan, a former cowboy, bouncer, and now a horse rancher and independent researcher, began speaking at 6 months old and could read before turning 4. Langan is best known for developing the Cognitive Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU) in the 1980s. In 2007, he explained that the model combines elements of John Archibald Wheeler’s Participatory Universe and Stephen Hawking’s Imaginary Time theory of cosmology.

Marilyn vos Savant – IQ 228

At the age of 10, an adult-level Stanford-Binet test revealed that she had an IQ of 228 and a mental age of nearly 23. She worked for Parade magazine, where she wrote her column, Ask Marilyn, for more than 35 years, answering questions on philosophy, math, health, science, and even lifestyle.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe – IQ 210-225

Libb Thims, an American electrochemical engineer, developed a method to estimate the highest IQs in history by evaluating a person's achievements across each decade of their life. This approach allowed him to assess the IQs of individuals who lived before intelligence tests were invented. Based on his calculations, Thims concluded that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe had the highest IQ. Although best known as a philosopher, Goethe's work spanned multiple fields, including metaphysics, biology, and color theory.

YoungHoon Kim – IQ 276

In April 2024, the Giga Society recognized YoungHoon Kim from South Korea as the person with the highest IQ in the world, an astonishing 276. Beyond his exceptional intellect, Kim serves as an intelligence specialist advisor for the World Mind Sports Council and the World Memory Championships. He is currently the president of the United Sigma Intelligence Association (USIA) and has excelled in multiple high-level intelligence tests.

Terence Tao – IQ 255-230

As a child, he excelled in mathematics and began learning calculus at just seven years old—the same age he started high school. By 20, he had earned his PhD from Princeton University. In 2006, he was awarded the Fields Medal, often regarded as the Nobel Prize of mathematics.

Kim Ung-Yong – IQ 210

At the age of 4, Kim Ung-Yong was already solving complex math problems, and by 5, he could speak four languages. At 8, he moved to the United States to study physics at the University of Colorado and began working for NASA shortly after. In 2014, he returned to Korea and became a full-time professor at Shinhan University.

Dylan Jones – IQ 200+

Dylan Jones, known for enrolling in college-level calculus and quantitative chemistry courses at the Colorado School of Mines at just 11, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in math and computer science, along with a minor in bioengineering and life sciences, at the age of 16. He then went on to study at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Nathan Leopold – IQ 200-220

Nathan Leopold became famous not for his intelligence, but for his crime. At 19, he and his friend Richard Loeb murdered 14-year-old Bobby Franks, claiming it was an intellectual experiment and an attempt to commit the perfect crime. Leopold had just graduated from the University of Chicago and was planning to attend Harvard Law School. However, after pleading guilty, he was sentenced to life in prison. He served 33 years and died in 1971.

Blaise Pascal – IQ 180-195

This French philosopher and mathematician had a challenging childhood. When his mother died when he was only 3, his father, a lawyer, took charge of his education. Despite his father forbidding him from learning math, young Blaise secretly taught himself geometry. By 12, he was so advanced that he impressed mathematicians from Paris with his projective geometry theorems. Later, as a teenager, he developed the first mechanical calculator to help his father with his work as a tax collector.

Hugo Grotius – IQ 185 – 190

Hugo Grotius was a true intellectual prodigy. Born in the Netherlands, he was already composing Latin elegies by the age of 8. A few years later, he attended Leiden University. By 15, Grotius had even traveled to France on a diplomatic mission with one of Holland's top politicians. Over time, he became known as the ‘Father of International Law' for his influential work, De Jure Belli ac Pacis (‘On the Law of War and Peace'). In this book, he presented groundbreaking ideas on international law and just war theory, aiming to reduce casualties and fatalities from conflict.

William Shakespeare – IQ 210

We all know the world’s most famous English poet, playwright, and actor. Throughout his life, he wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems, and a variety of other poems, many of which contain everyday phrases that are still in use today.

Michel Grost – IQ 200+

Michael Grost started college at Michigan State University at the age of 10 and graduated by 15. He earned a master’s degree from MSU and a PhD in mathematics from the University of Michigan. Now in his 70s, Grost is an expert in artificial intelligence, a mystery writer, an abstract painter, and a lover of classical music, poetry, film, art, and architecture.

Ainan Cawley – IQ 263

Ainan Celeste Cawley, a child prodigy with an IQ of 263, began studying chemistry at Singapore Polytechnic before the age of 10. He is often described as an ‘omnibus' prodigy due to his exceptional abilities across multiple fields, including science, music, and film. At just eight years old, he started his studies in chemistry at Singapore Polytechnic. In 2011, he and his father secured a patent for a method designed to enhance precocity in both children and adults.

Srinivasa Ramanujan – IQ 185

Srinivasa Ramanujan, one of the most influential mathematicians of the 20th century, began developing his own mathematical theorems at just 15 after studying George Shoobridge Carr’s Synopsis of Elementary Results in Pure and Applied Mathematics. He is best known for his groundbreaking contributions to number theory.

John Stuart Mill – IQ 180-190

He was an English philosopher, economist, and politician known for his groundbreaking views on women's rights. In 1869, he published The Subjection of Women, a progressive essay advocating for gender equality, co-written with his wife, Harriet Taylor. Taylor, a passionate women's rights advocate, deeply influenced Mill’s views on the role of women in society. Mill also served in Parliament, where he submitted a petition for women's suffrage.

Garry Kasparov – IQ 190

Soviet-born chess master Garry Kasparov was considered the world’s best chess player for nearly 20 years. At 22, he became the youngest world chess champion. Kasparov is also famous for competing against non-human opponents. While he defeated IBM's Deep Blue in 1996, he lost to the supercomputer the following year after its software was updated.

Marnen Laibow-Koser – IQ 268

Marnen Laibow-Koser, a musical prodigy with a childhood IQ of 268, began playing and composing music at just three years old. He studied composition at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Purchase College before earning a master's degree in contemporary improvisation in 2014. Today, he is a composer, musician, web developer, and self-proclaimed ‘post-hippie arts geek,' living in Randolph, Massachusetts.

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz – IQ 185-190

He was a German mathematician and philosopher, known as ‘the last universal genius.' He sought to create a system where reasoning could be solved through math, or ‘an algebra of thought,' as some described it. Leibniz is credited with inventing calculus, though he spent his later years defending himself against accusations of copying Isaac Newton. Most scholars now agree that both developed calculus independently, with Leibniz publishing first.

Adragon De Mello – IQ 185

In 1988, Adragon De Mello made history as the youngest college graduate in the U.S. at just 11, earning a degree in computational mathematics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His advanced intellect was evident early—he could read and write by age 2 and joined Mensa at 5.

Thomas Wolsey – IQ 200

Thomas Wolsey was one of the last powerful clergymen in England. When he was appointed Lord Chancellor, he took charge of England's foreign policy. His close association with the crown made him wealthy, which in turn made him unpopular with the public. Wolsey was arrested on charges of treason and died while being taken to his trial.

Evangelos Katsioulis – IQ 198-205

Evangelos Katsioulis, a Greek physician, psychiatrist, and psychotherapist, also holds graduate degrees in philosophy and information technology. He founded the World Intelligence Network, a non-profit organization focused on assessing and enhancing abilities. Katsioulis now applies his diverse expertise as a life coach.

Sho Yano – IQ 200

Sho Yano, often called the ‘real-life Doogie Howser,' learned to read at 2, started writing at 3, and composed music by 5. At 8, he took the SAT and scored 1500, enrolling at Loyola University in Chicago the following year. He graduated at 11 and earned a PhD in molecular genetics and cell biology from the University of Chicago at 18. By 21, he had obtained his medical degree. Yano is now an assistant professor of pediatrics and a practicing pediatric neurologist at Comer Children’s Hospital.

Voltaire – IQ 190-200

François-Marie Arouet, known as Voltaire, became a satirist, philosopher, poet, and historian. He was one of the most prolific writers of his era, producing a wide range of works, from fiction to political and scientific treatises, throughout his 60-year career.

Cleopatra – IQ 180

Cleopatra, often remembered for her beauty, was much more than that. She was fluent in 10 languages and educated in subjects like mathematics, philosophy, astronomy, and oratory. Cleopatra was not only skilled in law and diplomacy, but also in military strategy, economics, chemistry, and public relations.