The list of top 10 people with highest IQ, IQ test goes back in the early twentieth century when Alfred Binet, a French psychologist, came up with the IQ test as a means of understanding the cognitive progress of children. He never intended to apply labels of intelligence, but to help as a way to zero in on those students who could have additional academic support. The test, however, was developed over the years into a measure of the mental capability and possibilities in different domains.
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The Average individuals IQ
There is standardisation of IQ scores whereby scores with an average of 100 are taken to be suitable and most individuals lie within the range of 85 to 115. Scores that would be considered evidence of a very high level of intelligence would be well above 130, whereas, scores near 70 or lower may suggest some intellectual or developmental problems. It is on this basis that IQ testing is a vital part of education today as well as it appears in psychology tests and studies conducted to gain insight into the continuum of human intelligence.
The Giga Society is one of the most exclusive organizations in the realm of high intelligence that accepts only the people with the level of IQ 190 or higher who have passed approved high-range IQ tests. In its 2025 report, the society has ranked the top 10 people with the most verified IQ. These are non-conventional geniuses who have contributed tremendously in various fields such as in maths, physics and even medicine, redefining what we consider to be intellect fortitude.
Top 10 people with the highest IQ
| Rank | Name | IQ score | Nationality | Field(s) of Expertise |
| 1. | YoungHoon Kim | 276 | South Korea | Psychology, Neuroscience, Linguistics |
| 2. | Terence Tao | 230 | Australian-American | Mathematics |
| 3. | Marilyn vos Savant | 228 | American | Authorship, Logic, Philosophy |
| 4. | Christopher Hirata | 225 | Japanese-American | Astrophysics |
| 5. | Evangelos Katsioulis | 200 | American | Medicine, Genetics |
| 6. | Christopher Harding | 198 | Greek | Psychiatry, Philosophy |
| 7. | Sho Yano | 197 | Australian | Philosophy |
| 8. | Christopher Langan | 195 | American | Cognitive Science, Philosophy |
| 9. | Rick Rosner | 192 | American | Television, Writing |
| 10. | Garry Kasparov | 190 | Russian | Chess, Politics |
Source: Giga Society Report 2025
YoungHoon Kim, IQ=276
As per reports, a South Korean native YoungHoon Kim holds the most high IQ of the world presently in the year 2024 which is an amazing 276. No less the respectable organisations such as the World Genius Directory and the Giga Society have given formal acknowledgement of his exceptional intelligence. Besides his unparalleled intellectual ability, Kim has immensely contributed in various disciplines which to him have been psychology, neuroscience and linguistics and most of his work in these disciplines underscores the brilliance at which he took them to be.
Terence Tao is an IQ 230 genius
Terence Tao is an Australian- American mathematician with achievements in the field of number theory and harmonic analysis. He was a child prodigy who was a professor at UCLA at the age of 24 when he received his PhD at the age of 20. Tao is considered to be an influential scholar, and he was awarded the Fields Medal back in 2006 as a proponent of excellence with respect to how he solves mathematical problems individually and cooperatively. He has also authored a lot to make troublesome math easier.
Marilyn Vos Savant, IQ 228
Marilyn Vos Savant is an American author, columnist, and the holder of the record of the world s highest IQ; she is most familiar with her Ask marilyn column which featured in the Parade magazine. She features in the Guinness Book of World Records where she is listed as one with an extraordinarily high IQ. Due to her sharp intellect and thoughtful response to questions related to logic, physics and philosophy, she is a recognizable yet sometimes controversial figure on the public stage in the debate concerning intelligence and critical thinking.
Christopher Hirata, IQ 225
At 13 years old, Christopher Hirata, one of the notable Japanese-American astrophysicists, earned himself some global headlines when he won a gold medal in the International Physics Olympiad. He entered Caltech university when he was only 14 years and got a PhD at Princeton`s university when he was only 22years. Hirata is recognized by his research in the field of dark energy and the universe structure and has been awarded significant awards such as MacArthur Fellowship and has continued to be a centre figure in the contemporary cosmology.
Sho Yano, IQ 200
Sho Yano is a Japanese child genius because he was all over the newspapers after finishing his bachelor degree at the University of Chicago when was only 12 years old. After graduating at the age of 21 at a medical school he became one of the youngest doctors in the US. His studies in genetics and molecular biology have added significant contributions to the science field and this has earned him the inspiration worldwide to young researchers.
Evangelos Katsioulis, IQ 198
Greek psychiatrist Evangelos Katsioulis was related to some of the high IQ societies and is reported to have one of the highest ever IQ ratings recorded. with a degree in philosophy, research methodology and medicine he combines consuming interest in intellectual pursuit with practice. He is an educational and thought leading activist in international conferences and forums.
Christopher Harding, 197 IQ
The Australian intellectual Christopher Harding (born 1944), was once called the Smartest Man in the World by the Guinness Book of World Records in the 19661988 period (IQ of between 196 and 197). In 1974, he became the founder of the International Society for Philosophical Enquiry (ISPE) which is a high-IQ society; members have to score above 0.1 per cent on intelligence tests.
Christopher Langan (IQ 195)
Although he was mistreated as a child and lacked a higher education of any kind, Christopher Langan, who is often cited with his IQ level at almost 195, turned out to be a household name in the segment of population labeled as self-educated autodidacts. He has been a forest ranger and a cowboy, but is best known as a contributor of the so-called Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU), which is an ambitious hypothesis that unifies philosophy, theology and science. His life has been described as that of genius as well as personal struggles which add mysticism to this portrayal.
Rick Rosner, who has an IQ of 192
Rick Rosner, an IQ of 192 according to reports, lives a non-conventional life and is quite intimately brilliant. He has worked odd jobs such as bouncer, stripper, and he has written such incidents as Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. His radio and television work on making game shows and consciousness and intelligence are all representative of his bizarre mind but highly inquisitive at the same time.
Garry Kasparov,IQ 190
At the time, Garry Kasparov, the most famous Russian chess grandmaster, was the youngest undisputed World Champion when he was only 22 years old in 1985. More than ten years, he dominated the chess world and was popular because of his daring, yet calculative game. Out of the game, he is an honorable person in the light of chess and global politics due to his verbal activism and efforts to promote democratic processes in Russia.
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