Indonesia Ranks 12th Globally in Average IQ Scores; Education Challenges Cited

The latest data from the International IQ Test (IIT) 2025 reveals that Indonesia's average IQ score is 89.96, placing it 12th lowest globally. This survey is based on data from over 1.3 million participants worldwide who took the IQ test via the website. The IIT 2025 data highlights countries with the lowest average IQ scores, including Somalia (83.84), Timor-Leste (86.70), Rwanda (86.90), Nicaragua (87.85), Angola (87.98), Gabon (88.35), Uganda (88.49), Democratic Republic of Congo (88.60), Afghanistan (89.31), and Tanzania (89.57). These nations commonly face challenges such as poverty, conflict, limited access to education, and underdeveloped infrastructure. Somalia, for instance, experiences severe issues with educational access. According to UNESCO, in many areas, parents cannot afford their children's education. Besides poverty, long distances to schools, safety concerns, social norms prioritizing boys' education, and a lack of teachers, especially female teachers, along with low availability of sanitation facilities, prevent parents from enrolling their children, particularly girls, in school. The IIT 2025 data shows Somalia's average IQ score at 83.84, while the Lynn/Becker 2019 data reported it at 67.67. In Timor-Leste, the government prioritizes providing quality education. However, challenges persist, including aging school facilities, high rates of grade repetition and dropout, linguistic diversity, and limitations in educational infrastructure in rural areas. The IIT 2025 data shows Timor-Leste's average IQ score at 86.70. It was not included in the Lynn/Becker 2019 data. Rwanda, noted for its educational achievements in Sub-Saharan Africa, still faces hurdles. Primary school students show low performance in reading and arithmetic. Many teachers are not yet proficient in teaching in English, the official language of instruction, and still rely on traditional teacher-centered methods. Rwanda scored an average of 86.90 in IIT 2025, compared to 69.95 in Lynn/Becker 2019. Nicaragua has seen economic growth and educational development but struggles with social inequality, poverty, and political instability. Unequal access to quality education and persistent socio-economic disparities affect its IQ scores, which were 87.85 in IIT 2025 and 52.69 in Lynn/Becker 2019. Angola's education sector faces challenges from low learning outcomes to an increasing number of out-of-school children and adolescents, exacerbated by rapid population growth and low long-term investment in education. The country scored 87.98 in IIT 2025 and 75.10 in Lynn/Becker 2019. Gabon, a major oil producer in Africa, still has about a third of its population living in poverty. According to IIT 2025, Gabon scored an average of 88.35, while Lynn/Becker 2019 reported 62.97. Uganda's 2024 census indicates about 74 percent of the population aged 10 and above can read and write well in at least one language, meaning roughly one in four still lacks basic literacy. World Bank data in 2024 noted adult literacy at around 77 percent, showing improvement but not yet universal. Uganda scored 88.49 in IIT 2025 and 76.42 in Lynn/Becker 2019. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), rich in natural resources, contends with political instability, poor infrastructure, centuries of colonial and commercial exploitation, and slow post-independence development. The DRC scored 88.60 in IIT 2025 and 64.92 in Lynn/Becker 2019. Afghanistan's prolonged social, political, and humanitarian crises severely impact its fragile education system, further worsened by natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, and landslides. Afghanistan scored 89.31 in IIT 2025 and 82.12 in Lynn/Becker 2019. Tanzania has significantly expanded school access, especially for girls, to fulfill every child's right to education. However, many children aged 7-17 have not attended school. Tanzania scored 89.57 in IIT 2025 and 74.95 in Lynn/Becker 2019. In the IIT 2025 ranking of countries with the lowest IQ, Indonesia is positioned 12th with a score of 89.96. In contrast, the Lynn/Becker 2019 data placed Indonesia at 69th with a score of 78.49. The article also lists countries with the highest IQ scores, though specific names are not provided in the provided text, only their scores from IIT 2025 and Lynn/Becker 2019. Source: Detik