Top 10 smartest countries: Check full list

What makes a country truly “smart”? Is it high IQ scores, world-class universities, or a legacy of Nobel Prize winners? A new global study attempts to answer that by ranking the smartest countries in the world using a mix of education, intelligence, and academic achievement data.

The World of Card Games ranking system used multiple metrics to determine global intelligence rankings. The study measured three factors, which included average IQ scores, Nobel Prize nomination totals and adult higher education attainment rates.

The researchers assigned numerical values between 0 and 100 to each factor, which they combined through weighted averages to determine the final Smart Capital Score.

The researchers obtained data from sources including the Nobel Prize Foundation, the World Bank and the World Population Review. The study aimed to create a balanced comparison, even adjusting for countries with limited data.

Top 10 smartest countries in world

1. Switzerland
2. United Kingdom
3. United States
4. Netherlands
5. Belgium
6. Sweden
7. Germany
8. Poland
9. Denmark
10. Finland

Many of the smartest countries in the world share common traits: strong education systems, investment in research, and cultures that value critical thinking.