Who Has The Highest IQ – Top 12 Highest IQ Ever Recorded
Published on February 12, 2023
Updated on November 25, 2024
6 min read

Who Has The Highest IQ – Top 12 Highest IQ Ever Recorded

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Valuable information on the monumental achievements of human intelligence inspires many people around the globe. We are stemming from the groundbreaking discoveries made by real professionals. People such as Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and various other intellectuals play a part in uncovering our comprehension of matter and our human experience. Comparing these contributions is occasionally measured by one’s ability to show the boundless magnitude of our intelligence. Visible through the achievements of the most intelligent people in the world, IQ tests, and evidence of real genius!

Learning the limitless potential of the human mind may be a fascinating experience. This article features the remarkable individuals with the highest documented IQ who have pushed cognitive limitations.

What is IQ?

IQ is the sum total standardized score of all tests that indicates an individual’s relative mental ability. This initially appeared as a German term which later became translated as intelligence quotient. A person’s reasoning cognitive ability matters if it is applied with intelligence and allowed to flourish with practice. Essentially, resulting in effective problem-solving skills for everyday life, professional work moments, and any situation when a solution needs to be found. Throughout history infamous scientists and individuals have showcased their ability to solve ideas, tasks, and even mysteries of the universe.

IQ and Happiness

Prominent historical figures will always have the spotlight, but there are remarkable individuals with very high IQ scores who have appeared in famous news outlets and proven their IQ brilliance, yet perhaps never fully acted upon it. For example, Kim Ung-Yong is recorded to have an IQ of 210, but he also stated, “Society should not judge anyone with unilateral standards…” At the age of three, Kim could read Japanese, Korean, German, and English. The Korean prodigy was invited to the US by NASA at the age of eight to further his studies, as he could easily solve differential equations by age seven. Later in life, in 2010, Kim criticized the idea that he is a “failed genius” and spoke out to tell people that happiness is not a failure. 

YoungHoon Kim

With his extraordinary intelligence, young South Korean genius YoungHoon Kim has stunned the world. His IQ as of April 2024 is 276. Such IQ success enables him to rank among those with the highest IQ in the world. Kim has received worldwide recognition for impressive mind capacities, particularly in the disciplines of psychology, neurology, linguistics, sociology, and philosophy.

Kim also showed an early ability to deal with unusual complex problems, quickly exceeding cognitive expectations for his age. His mind has produced ground-breaking developments in multiple academic fields. He also belongs to high-IQ groups such as the Giga Society.  

Despite Kim’s early age, his intellectual performance has inspired generations of individuals by stressing the opportunities presented by his great mind endowments. His path reminds society of the limitless possibilities of the human intellect motivated by enthusiasm.

YoungHoon Kim

Professor Stephen Hawking

An up-to-date example of who has the highest known IQ is Professor Stephen Hawking, who inspires humanity to this day with his approach: to striving for a peek at the unknown. Professor Hawking’s IQ is much above average as well. Scoring above 160 places him in the top, less than one percentile. Up there, with Albert Einstein and Mozart. Apart from a high IQ, he was a person who notably popularized science with his ability to take massive amounts of complex information on things, such as black holes, and makes them accessible to people who are not scientists. This makes him one of the smartest people in the world, who also happens to be the person with the highest IQ in recent years of life on Earth. Professor Stephen Hawking’s IQ is much up to par with his desire to make a complete theory of the universe accessible to everyone! A true genius of a person with much compassion for all humans.

memory

Professor Stephen Hawking took complex physics and presented them with metaphorically understandable terms. These discoveries truly push humanity forward as a whole, helping answer questions about the concept of time, existence, and our current state. Likewise, Jonas von Essen showed the world once again we are limitless. The Two-Time World Memory Champion attempted to show his phenomenal attributes to memory with his display of memorizing the f

irst one hundred thousand digits of Pi (π) in March 2020. His usage of a mnemonic device called the Mind Palace Technique shows how one’s ability to increase intelligence can be done by learning other methods, which will assist the process of encoding and recalling information.

Top 10 Highest IQ Ever

NameIQ SCORE
YoungHoon Kim276
William James Sidis250-300
Marylin von Savant228
Christopher Hirata225
Johann Goethe210-225
Terence Tao210
Leonardo Da Vinci180-220
Isaac Newton190-220
Marie Curie180-220
Nikola Tesla130-310
Nicolaus Copernicus160-200
Professor Hawking160

William James Sidis

Graduated from Harvard University at the age of 16 and went on to pursue advanced degrees in mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. He was a child prodigy who could read at 18 months and could speak several languages fluently by the time he was six years old.

Marilyn Vos Savant 

Known for exceptional IQ scoring, American magazine writer Marilyn Vos Savant was recognized for her impressive ability to solve challenging questions and riddles.

Christopher Hirata

He received his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Caltech at 22 and developed mathematical models that help explain the behavior of dark matter in the universe.

Johann Goethe

A German polymath, Goethe was a writer, poet, and scientist. He made significant contributions to literature, science, and philosophy.

Terence Tao

A mathematician was known for his work in various mathematical fields, including harmonic analysis, partial differential equations, and number theory. Terence received numerous awards for his work, including the Fields Medal and the Breakthrough Prize in Mathematics.

Leonardo Da Vinci

A true polymath, he was a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, and inventor. His most well-known works comprise of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Isaac Newton

One of the most noteworthy scientists of all time, he made groundbreaking contributions to physics, mathematics, and astronomy. For example, Newton’s laws of motion and universal gravitation laid the foundation for modern physics.

Marie Curie

A Polish-born physicist and chemist who performed pioneering investigations on radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win two Nobel Prizes in different fields.

Nikola Tesla

An inventor and electrical engineer who made significant contributions to the development of alternating current (AC) power design, his inventions, and discoveries revolutionized electrical engineering and radio communication.

Nicolaus Copernicus

A Renaissance-era astronomer and mathematician who proposed the heliocentric model of the solar system, his work laid the foundation for the Scientific Revolution and the eventual acceptance of the Copernican system.

Stephen Hawking

A theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to our knowledge of black holes and the origins of the universe. Professor Stephen Hawking wrote several popular books on science and cosmology, including A Brief History of Time.

It’s worth noting that these people have accomplished many other things, but we tried our best to pick the most notable or famous ones. The person with the highest IQ may have a greater chance of displaying great brain health, which attributes to the increase of intelligence. A healthy brain and information retention go hand in hand with one’s ability to utilize intelligence to reach desired conclusions of hypotheses. The web of ideas is supported by intelligence, and intelligence is supported by the ability to process information toward the best desirable outcomes, ‘solutions overcoming barriers.’ The solutions which solve the basic needs for the existence of humans on Earth.

An increase in intelligence must be seen as a whole, which consists of universally similar attributes within human mental abilities. The way mental skills, such as problem-solving, logic, and reasoning, come together to manifest the perceived intelligence of a human being. Our job is not to focus on the IQ score but rather to understand our strengths and things we can work on to help us live a healthy, stable life. A life with a great personal fiance is found where intelligence is, at the very least, utilized – put to use. We are all intelligent; just not all of us choose to attempt discovering that intelligence within. Building the web processes of action which intelligence arises from requires a steady, healthy pace—entailing a stress-free, health-centered environment.

The Highest Recorded IQ in History: William Sidis

William Sidis is known to have an IQ score of anywhere from 250 to 300. These numbers, in relation to the rest of the population’s IQ test takers, are astonishing. May have dubbed him as the “Smartest Man Alive.” Many scientists argue that profound levels of intellect are passed genetically. In retrospect, Sidis had parents who studied and learned complex subjects. His mother, Sarah Sidis, was a medical doctor and received an education from the Boston University School of Medicine and his father was a prominent psychologist who made many additions to the space of Psychopathology. Considering these facts, one may ponder the type of attention to intellectual stimulation William Sidis’s parents instilled in him. If explained properly, exposure to complex subjects at a young age will give an individual a great start to any career where the use of information interpretation is needed and celebrated.

So, therefore, genetics is one factor, but the environment an individual grows up in drastically influences one’s upbringing of world views. Also, the ability to have greater mental focus, concentration, and disassembling information into straightforward interpretations – all of these tools expand IQ properties and qualities within a human. William Sidis is said to have been reading a newspaper being 1.5 years of age. He has published many books and scientific journals on topics about the infinite and eternal properties of the universe, thermodynamics, cosmology, and many other topics, including non-scientific ones like the idea of self and reflections of the world in the form of manuscripts and articles.

Marilyn vos Savant

If we are talking about the first rise to fame and astonishment regarding IQ results, Marilyn vos Savant was one of the recent who made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. She stands amongst the greats as an individual who drew nationwide attention within the United States of America. Later on, it was decided that IQ scores are relative, making it difficult to test the true intelligence quotient of any individual. In popular culture, such instances are expected to make the mark for being recognized for exceptional human intelligence shown within one particular individual. She played a significant role in the way the world views IQ. Marilyn vos Savant had published multiple tests and quizzes in order to test IQ skills for individual fun and engagements! The world of IQ owes a lot to her and the path she paved for studying this field, drawing lots of attention. Marilyn vos Savant’s IQ score: the recorded score was around 228, at a very young age.

Albert Einstein’s IQ Score

Albert Einstein’s IQ was higher than the IQ score of 160. It is not easy to find information on this subject as Einstein never physically sat down for a recorded IQ test. Although, in order to have at least devised the theory of relativity, which ultimately expanded our understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe as a whole, he must have had very profound intellectual abilities. His ability to quickly adapt to the learning environment in various countries allowed him to expand and deliver his information to an extensive range of audiences – his work was even input into the curriculums of all students worldwide.

Thus, Albert Einstein’s IQ is, in some areas, even open to debate, but one thing is certain, his IQ would have been abnormally high if he were to take on such complex thinking tasks. Not only thinking but actually creating was to take fundamentally vast subjects and convert them into a one-lined formula, which opened the door for scientists worldwide to understand and contribute to his findings. Some even claim parts of his brain were thicker than the usual humans, but in reality, this is what rumors form around hard-working individuals who drastically excel in difficult fields to explore for a person with an average IQ.

 

The likes of William Sidis, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and Jonas von Essen show us that we ourselves set the limits to our limitless intelligence, nobody else. Each contribution unravels a piece of the whole. For the rest of the world to rise with these discoveries as well. When others are seen breaking previously thought barriers, striving to a better intelligence is evermore promising. Aligning with nature and experiencing intelligence in everyday life will set us up for success in improving life. Therefore, having the highest IQ score is only part of the possibilities to exhibit intelligence – many various contributions can be made. The bottom line is that understanding is a great place to start improving intelligence.

FAQ

Leonardo Da Vinci’s IQ

Da Vinci, a world-renowned artist, inventor, and visionary, had an IQ score of around 200. His works of art, blueprint creation of various vehicles, and understanding of the world exceeded his time and allowed following generations to view even further based on his foundations. He resided in modern-day Italy for much of his time.

Isaac Newton’s IQ

Most known for his law of gravitation, Isaac Newton revolutionized science in the 17th. Century. His estimated IQ score ranges from 190 to 220; using various measures, he is off the charts of ‘normality.’

How To Increase Intelligence

It is not just a debate of nature vs. nurture but an individual’s ability to harness what they were given and draw lines to the areas that may become better knowable. Thus, a balance is created in the pursuit of a higher IQ. Supported by a healthy lifestyle and a proper sleep schedule, your IQ will also shoot off the charts. Include various brain-stimulating activities and get better at problem-solving.

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