The debate about the association of intelligence with race is making an unwelcome resurgence in public discourse; therefore this presentation of the most intelligent ethnic groups in the world is probably not going to resolve anything; it will just add fodder to an already raging fire.
Nevertheless, for the purposes of entertainment only, it is imperative to provide this information perhaps as motivation for more research on the subject.
The available research is quite sketchy; where it exists, there is always something by way of improvements to be desired.
Top 20 Most Intelligent Ethnic Groups In The World
1. Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews are the famous Jews of the bible and history and present day State of Israel. It is not very difficult to prove that the Jews are the smartest people on earth; they have produced 80% of the world’s Chess Masters.
Perhaps Chess Masters alone do not prove the point? The population includes Merchants, bankers, and scholars, and also some very special people such as Albert Einstein, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freund, and Mark Zuckerberg.
Perhaps it was in a bid to put an end to this superiority in intelligence that Adolf Hitler started that massacre which killed an estimated 6 million of them. Thankfully his attempt at ethnic cleansing did not work as planned; and so the world can continue to enjoy the intellectual brilliance of the Jews, and their contributions to humanity in the areas of technology, medical science, energy research.
2. Asians
Asians make up the largest ethnic group on this list; and in reality there should actually be many different ethnic groups making up the Asian sub family. However, available research only groups Asians as a single ethnic group.
Asians are some of the smartest people in the world; japan, Taiwan and Singapore are some of the smartest countries in the world; as shown by their performances in IQ tests.
Asians are among the best when it comes to technology development; they also have some of the best social structures as observed in china and japan.
Asians have the second highest performance in IQ tests of any ethnic group in the world, and they also have the lowest mortality rates of any ethnic group as well.
3. West African Blacks
West African Blacks are made up of too many individual tribes, but in the UK, academic tests have shown that some African groups tend to perform better in tests and exams than others. People of Igbo, Yoruba, Akan, Hausa, Ga, Swahili, Edo, and Ewe origins tend to perform well; they have averages of 90% (N = 2,071).
The GSCEs prove that West African Blacks are the most intelligent single unit; white British pupils were 2.3% less likely to have gained 5 A–C grades at GCSE than the national average, however when it comes to Nigerian students the likelihood was 21.8% above the average.
Ghanaians do not fall too far behind; they usually perform 5.5% above average, and then the next ethnic groups would be sierra Leoneans; all of who perform better than the White British Students.
4. White British
White British is also another very wide ethnic group; it is the best way to describe British Nationals who happen to be white. The basis of this addition is their performances (historically) at the GSCEs.
White British students are 2.3% less likely to have gained 5 A–C grades at the exams, but that still provides a very good average score.
White British make up the numerical majority of the population of the UK, which is a very technology driven society, and has produced many distinguished individuals who have stamped their names in history.
Some of them include; William Shakespeare, Thomas Edison, Rowan Atkinson, David Bowie and John Lennon.
5. Europeans
Another ridiculously wide grouping of people, Europeans are some of the smartest people in the world; they invented manufacturing, and the economic models upon which modern society is built. Europeans are also generally peaceful, and have steady democracies.
However, those steady democracies are usually defended by some of the most fearsome militaries in the world; with rocket launchers, nuclear bombs, and jet fighters. What do these military equipment have to do with IQ?
It takes teams of highly intelligent people to do the research needed to produce such sophisticated weaponry, or to manage the economies necessary to fund such research.
6. American Whites
American Whites are some of the most intelligent people in the world; even some of the Ashkenazi Jews mentioned above are also Americans. The recent downward spiral of American politics may make the whole country look stupid, but that is actually not a true portrayal of the situation.
In IQ tests Caucasians generally perform below Asians, but that is the only ethnic group to whom they are intellectually inferior. In IQ tests, such as Scholastic Aptitude Test (N = 2.4 million) and Graduate Record Examination (N = 2.3 million), and also in tests of job applicants in corporate establishments (N = 0.5 million) and in the military (N = 0.4 million), this premise holds true.
America is the hub for the development of technology; the country spends absurdly high amounts on research, in medicine, pharmacology, aviation, space travel, communication, and so on.
7. South African Whites
South African White are reported to have an average IQ of 94; which is quite high. Furthermore, the IQ of white South African engineering students is put at 117. Interestingly; the South African White population is known for agriculture.
South Africa has therefore become a hub for the large scale agriculture; some of the crops that come from South Africa include maize, wheat, soybeans, rice, potatoes, sugarcane, and peanuts.
South Africa is also great in terms of science and technology, academics, and so on. South African whites are also important in business, economics and finance.
8. American Blacks
American Blacks make up an important minority in the country; and they have an average IQ of 99.0, which is quite poor. The argument becomes quite political from here on because all the available sources point out that this apparent lack of intelligence in the Black Community is caused by social issues such as poverty, violence, air and noise pollution, as well lack of quality nutrition.
However, despite these huge disadvantages; there have been many black Americans who have succeeded in their various endeavors.
American Blacks have grown in every facet of life; they are very important in music, screenplay, business, academics, and even in politics.
9. South African Coloreds
South African Coloreds are a distinct ethnic group in South Africa; and even though they do not have huge populations, they are certainly an important one. South African coloreds score an average of 82 on the IQ tests.
The research available shows that South African Coloreds are the second most intelligent ethnic group in the country. South Africa is the most intelligent country on the continent; and has been in the forefront of the technological development of the continent.
South African coloreds are very much engaged in business, academics, sports, and all other activities of life.
10. Indians
One publication states that Indians are the most creative people in the world- although that is probably an exaggeration. Nevertheless, Indians are certainly intelligent, as shown by their prowess in business, technology, and the structure of their society.
India has an average IQ of 82 which is at par with that of South African coloreds; although in terms of business it would seem that Indians are the more important ethnic group.
Indians also have large Diasporas all around the world; the information available makes no mention about whether they were added to the figures from which the IQ averages were obtained.
The following is a more extensive collection of the 20 most intelligent ethnic groups in the world.
| Rank | Ethnic Groups | Location |
| 1 | Ashkenazi Jews | Europe/ Asia/ America |
| 2 | Asians | All Over the World |
| 3 | West African Blacks | All Over the World |
| 4 | White British | Britain |
| 5 | Europeans | Europe |
| 6 | American Whites | America, Canada |
| 7 | South African Whites | South Africa |
| 8 | American Blacks | America |
| 9 | South African Coloreds | South Africa |
| 10 | Indians | All over the world |
| 11 | Australian Whites | Australia |
| 12 | Taiwanese | Taiwan, China |
| 13 | Japanese | Japan |
| 14 | Singaporeans | Singapore |
| 15 | Malaysians | Malaysia |
| 16 | Mongolians | Mongolia |
| 17 | Arabs | Arabia, North Africa |
| 18 | Oceania’s | Oceania |
| 19 | Myanmar | Myanmar |
| 20 | Caribbean’s | Caribbean |
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Closing
This list of the most intelligent ethnic groups will no doubt raise more questions than answers. While scientists continue to assert that race is a social construct; and as such any variations in IQ observed among the various ethnic groups come down to external factors such as poverty, environment, education, and prior exposure to the modules used to determine said intelligence.