Smartest Person in the World 2024 – Top 10 [with IQs Ranked]

Smartest Person in the World 2024

The individuals who are considered the most intelligent in the world are not always those with the best academic records. Intelligence can manifest in various ways, and effective communication of one’s intellectual capacity is equally important. Intelligence is not an innate quality and often requires years of hard work and dedication to nurture. The criteria for determining the most intelligent individuals include factors like their IQ, academic achievements, and proficiency in multiple languages. While IQ is an essential measure of intelligence, it is not the only one. Some exceptionally intelligent people may not appear on the list due to their educational background or inability to showcase their brilliance. The list of the world’s smartest people features those who have astounded the world with their accomplishments, and many people view them as a gift or a rare breed. Scientists suggest that humans use only 15% of their brain, and the accomplishments of these people make one wonder what it would be like if they could use 30% of their brain. Some people consider these exceptional individuals strange, while others see them as unique and gifted. When you glance through the most intelligent and intellectual people in 2024, you will undoubtedly be amazed by their achievements.

Top 10 Smartest Person in the World

Below is a table of the most intelligent people in the world.

Let us see each person in detail 

1. Carl Friedrich Gauss (IQ 300)

Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss, born on April 30, 1777, in Brunswick, Germany, was a highly intelligent individual with an IQ score of 300. He was a mathematician and scientist who made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, and physics, during the 18th century. Gauss is widely recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians in history and is credited with independently discovering essential theorems, such as the fundamental theorem of algebra. He is also known for his groundbreaking work on complex number systems and Gaussian curvature. Additionally, Gauss is famous for constructing the regular 17-sided polygon, also known as the heptadecagon. 

2. William James Sidis (IQ 250-300)

The full name of the American mathematician and child prodigy commonly known as William James Sidis is William James Sidis. He was born on April 1, 1898, in Manhattan, New York, United States, to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. Sidis was a remarkable prodigy who gained admission to Harvard University at just 11 years old and was reputed to have achieved fluency in over 40 languages. As a gifted mathematician, he published multiple articles in scientific journals and gained recognition as a lecturer and writer. Despite his brilliant mind, Sidis was a controversial figure due to his anti-war activism and unconventional theories, including the concept of four-dimensional space. He was widely regarded as a genius and was the subject of numerous publications throughout his lifetime. At the age of 46, Sidis passed away in 1944. 

3. Terence Tao (IQ 230)

Terence Tao, was born on July 17, 1975, in Adelaide, Australia, and is currently 47 years old as of 2024. Tao is recognized as one of the most intelligent individuals alive and has been given the nickname “Mozart of Maths.” Remarkably, he taught himself to read at the age of two by watching Sesame Street and began studying university-level mathematics when he was only nine years old. After completing his undergraduate degree at Flinders University in Australia at the age of 17, he attended Princeton University in the United States. Tao’s primary research interest is in the theory of partial differential equations, and he has received numerous accolades for his contributions to the fields of combinatorics, additive number theory, harmonic analysis, and partial differential equations. He was awarded the prestigious Fields Medal for his achievements. Currently, Tao serves as a mathematical engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is a NASA space research institute. 

4. Marilyn Vos Savant (IQ 228)

Marilyn Vos Savant is a magazine columnist who was born on August 1, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. She is 76 years old as of 2024 and is known for having one of the highest recorded IQ scores. She studied philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis but left after two years to help with a family investment business. Marilyn gained recognition for her column called “Ask Marilyn,” which has been appearing in Parade magazine every Sunday since 1986. She uses her column to provide answers to questions on a wide range of mainly academic subjects.

5. Christopher Hirata (IQ 225)

Christopher Hirata is an American astrophysicist and cosmologist who has gained recognition for his exceptional intelligence. Born on November 30, 1982, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, he has an IQ score of 225. Hirata’s achievements include winning a gold medal at the International Physics Olympiad at age 13 and earning a bachelor’s degree in physics from Caltech at age 18 in 2001. Currently, he is affiliated with Ohio State University, working in both the Physics and Astronomy departments. Hirata has made significant contributions to the fields of cosmology and astrophysics. He is also a recipient of numerous awards for his work, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2012.

6. Kim Ung-Yong (IQ 210)

Kim Ung-yong, a former child prodigy, is considered one of the most brilliant individuals in the world. He holds the Guinness World Record for the highest IQ ever recorded at 210. At just five years old, he stunned many by solving complex differential and integral calculus problems. Kim earned his elementary, middle, and high school degrees in just two years and obtained a PhD in civil engineering from Chungbuk National University at the age of 8. At age 8, he was recruited by NASA to work for them, and he worked for the company for ten years.

7. Evangelos Katsioulis (IQ 205 )

Evangelos Katsioulis, born on January 19, 1976, is a renowned scientist from Greece who has an IQ score of 205, making him one of the smartest people in the world. He is well-known as the founder of the World Intelligence Network (WIN), which is an international organization of high-IQ societies. He graduated from Aristotle University of Thessaloniki School of Medicine in 2000 and has a PhD in Psychopharmacology from the Medical Biology and Genetics Department of the School of Medicine of the same university. Throughout his career, Evangelos has worked in various medical fields, including neurology, psychiatry, radiation oncology, nephrology, and psychopharmacology.

8. Edward Witten (IQ 202 )

Edward Witten, a mathematical physicist, is recognized as one of the most intelligent individuals in the world with an estimated IQ of 202. Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1951, Witten enrolled at Princeton University to study Applied Mathematics at a young age of 22. He received his PhD in physics at the age of 25. He specializes in string theory, quantum gravity, supersymmetric quantum, and other areas of mathematical physics. He is renowned for his work in superstring theory, for which he received the prestigious Fields Medal. Witten is credited as the practical founder of M-theory.

9. John von Neumann (IQ 200)

10. Christopher Michael Langan (IQ 195-210) 

Christopher Michael Langan, born on March 25, 1952, in San Francisco, California, is known to be one of the smartest people in the United States, despite having received little formal education. From a young age, he demonstrated remarkable intelligence, being able to speak at only six months old and read at the age of three. Langan is known for his groundbreaking theory of reality, the Cognitive-Theoretic Model of the Universe (CTMU), and has made significant contributions to science and philosophy. His IQ score is believed to be between 195 and 210.

Who is the Smartest Person in the World?

Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855) was a German mathematician and physicist who is considered one of the most influential mathematicians in history. He made significant contributions to a wide range of fields, including number theory, algebra, geometry, astronomy, and physics. Gauss was a child prodigy, showing exceptional mathematical talent from a young age. He made his first major breakthrough at the age of 21 with the discovery of a regular polygon of 17 sides that could be constructed using only a compass and straightedge. He also proved the fundamental theorem of algebra, which states that every polynomial equation with complex coefficients has at least one complex root.

Throughout his career, Gauss made many important contributions to mathematics. He developed the method of least squares, a statistical method used to fit a line to a set of data points. He also introduced the Gaussian distribution, a bell-shaped curve that is widely used in probability theory and statistics. In addition, he developed important concepts in number theory, including the law of quadratic reciprocity and the Gaussian integers, which are complex numbers with integer real and imaginary parts. Gauss also made contributions to astronomy and physics. He developed a method for calculating the orbit of a planet from a limited set of observations, which was used to discover the dwarf planet Ceres. He also developed Gauss’s law of magnetism, which describes the behavior of magnetic fields.

Smartest Person in the World 2024

Terence Tao is a mathematician who specializes in several fields such as partial differential equations, harmonic analysis, algebraic combinatorics, geometric combinatorics, and compressed sensing. He has authored over three hundred research papers and is considered one of the most prominent living mathematicians worldwide. He is often referred to as the “Mozart of mathematics” due to his exceptional contributions to the field.

Tao displayed remarkable mathematical talent as a child, and at nine years old, he was already attending college-level math courses. He is also among the only two children in the history of John Hopkins’ Exceptional Talent program to have scored above 700 in the SAT math section. At 14, he joined the Research Science Institute summer program, and two years later, he earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Flinders University. In 1996, at the age of 21, Tao obtained his Ph.D., becoming the youngest person to do so. That same year, he became a faculty member at the University of California, Los Angeles, thus becoming the youngest person to achieve this feat.

What is an IQ Test?

An IQ test is a measure of a person’s cognitive abilities and is used as an index of their intellectual potential. One of the most commonly used psychological exams is the IQ test. The table and graph below provide information on the percentage and percentile rankings of individuals based on their IQ scores. Many IQ tests are standardized, and results are calculated by comparing an individual’s performance to the average score for people in their age group. IQ scores are represented numerically and a person is considered brilliant if their IQ is 130 or above. The average IQ range for most people is between 85 to 115.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Intelligence is a multifaceted concept, and the smartest person in the world is not always determined by academic achievements or high IQ scores alone. Effective communication of one’s intellectual capacity is also essential. The list of the top ten smartest people in the world in 2024 includes individuals from various fields, including mathematics, science, and philosophy. These exceptional individuals have made significant contributions to their respective fields and continue to inspire generations to come. While the list is not exhaustive, it showcases the incredible accomplishments of human beings and leaves us wondering about the potential of the human mind. IQ tests are one measure of intelligence, but they are not the only measure, and many highly intelligent individuals may not appear on such lists. Ultimately, intelligence is a complex and multifaceted trait that cannot be reduced to a single test or metric.

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