The average IQ in Thailand is 89

[IsaanT]

On 6/20/2025 at 9:04 PM, newbee2022 said:

The last days I realized that some Expats here had been concerned about the IQ of other members.

So I did my research and was surprised to see the average IQ in Thailand is said to be 89.

Can you do better?

 

https://iqinternational.org/?gc_id=21779466383&h_ga_id=171276631351&h_ad_id=715837459374&h_keyword_id=kwd-12171861&h_keyword=iq test&h_placement=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21779466383&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjdTCBhCLARIsAEu8bpKEf6iior63-YCeW_ko3YMBIzFTyIsKNh_lTLyqoLr7y4v4qEh1VZwaAlroEALw_wcB

I did your test, then on completion it asked me for my name and email address.  You didn't warn us about that, did you?  The test is also heavily biased towards shape/pattern recognition, which is only one aspect of intelligence, so I didn't find it to be a balanced test.

FWIW, I did the MENSA test in the UK.  I failed entry to MENSA by one point.  This means that I am not in the top 2% of the population, IQ-wise.  However, being top of the remaining 98% was good enough for me.
 

[Dionigi]

The chart shows average country scores as low as 43. A score of 70 and below is considered mentally deficient. I'm sure some of these countries would be annoyed at these ratings.

[Jonnapat]

89 sounds not too bad compared to MAGA.

[ujayujay]

On 6/20/2025 at 9:04 PM, newbee2022 said:

The last days I realized that some Expats here had been concerned about the IQ of other members.

So I did my research and was surprised to see the average IQ in Thailand is said to be 89.

Can you do better?

 

https://iqinternational.org/?gc_id=21779466383&h_ga_id=171276631351&h_ad_id=715837459374&h_keyword_id=kwd-12171861&h_keyword=iq test&h_placement=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21779466383&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjdTCBhCLARIsAEu8bpKEf6iior63-YCeW_ko3YMBIzFTyIsKNh_lTLyqoLr7y4v4qEh1VZwaAlroEALw_wcB

 

[richard_smith237]

I'm interested to know exactly how much the Average IQ of Thailand shifts when posters such as newbee, Harrisfan and Malcy fly in and out..... 

 

 

[fredwiggy]

On 6/22/2025 at 12:32 PM, TroubleandGrumpy said:

The IQ test has nothing to do with where you were born and what family you are in. It was designed for kids - to identify the smart ones from the idiots.  Many times there are brothers or sisters and one is a Tradie/Cleaner and the other is a Doctor/Lawyer.  Genetics is only a small part of the IQ test results - otherwise of course brothers and sister would all be the same IQ.  Education is the single biggest factor that affects IQ test results. That does not mean all kids all learn the same at the same school - some will want to learn and will work, and some do not and would rather party, screw or get some drugs.  That is one reason why Asians who have been to schools in the West have a higher IQ that other groups - it is not genetic it is because they tend to be better focused on doing well at school - or they get beaten by their parents 🙂

 

This clarifies a little on how genetics does make a difference in IQ, but it does change as you grow into adulthood from environment, especially as far as the tests themselves..........https://www.psypost.org/groundbreaking-study-reveals-the-impact-of-genetics-on-iq-scores-over-time/

[TroubleandGrumpy]

3 hours ago, ukrules said:

 

You will likely know that it's based on standard deviations from the mean of some foreign population and is recalibrated every 10 or 20 years to match the current population in order to keep that mean at 100 so it's always 100 regardless of any change over time - and it does change over time - if the entire population changes over time then how dumb or smart you need to be to get a 100 score will also change.

 

So the real question is - what population is used to calculate the 100 score and that depends on the test.

8 points is half a standard deviation - that's inside the 'noise zone', hence all those countries reporting averages of averages slightly above or below 100 are irrelevant - also some of them don't even use the same kind of tests, you think China or South Korea don't calibrate their tests based on their own population and to make the results look nice and shiny?

Cannot disagree with that logic - yes they can and do 'calibrate' results across demographics. The issue I was raising is not that though - it is that in the west (especially) we have a lot of over-educated idiots that get higher than realistic IQ test results because they have been educated. Not enough to re-calibrate tests across 100 million people (or more) - but they are there and in plain sight - and they have far too much of a say in what goes on and what does not go on in our society.  

[Thingamabob]

Intelligence is not easy to quantify. In my lifetime I've known highly qualified people who are not very bright, and uneducated people who are very smart.

[TroubleandGrumpy]

3 minutes ago, fredwiggy said:

This clarifies a little on how genetics does make a difference in IQ, but it does change as you grow into adulthood from environment, especially as far as the tests themselves..........https://www.psypost.org/groundbreaking-study-reveals-the-impact-of-genetics-on-iq-scores-over-time/

Agreed - but they cannot make new IQ tests that are reflective of any significant demographic - such as educated 30-40 year olds, against uneducated or under-educated 30-40 year olds.  The IQ tests are seen by many as a true and accurate measurement of intelligence - but they are at best a very rough guide - especially when performed over large numbers of people. One bloke who worked for me decades ago had 3 degrees and an MBA and his IQ was 140+ but he was an absolute idiot.  He worked in 3 different industries and ended up owning and running a macadamia farm down the south NSW coast. I also knew a bloke that was a plumber and he made $500K+ a year (after taxes) in the early 2000s - he ended up owning $millions of business property as investment and retired early to th an absolute mansion on the Sunshine Coast in QLD - he was a very smart bloke - and although he never did an IQ tests I get it would have been around 100/110 - he said that he left school at 16 and started working for his Uncle as an apprentice plumber.   

[bwanajohn]

My take on this is that understanding how IQ tests results are assessed is very complicated and if you don't understand how it works you best keep quiet.

[fredwiggy]

5 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Agreed - but they cannot make new IQ tests that are reflective of any significant demographic - such as educated 30-40 year olds, against uneducated or under-educated 30-40 year olds.  The IQ tests are seen by many as a true and accurate measurement of intelligence - but they are at best a very rough guide - especially when performed over large numbers of people. One bloke who worked for me decades ago had 3 degrees and an MBA and his IQ was 140+ but he was an absolute idiot.  He worked in 3 different industries and ended up owning and running a macadamia farm down the south NSW coast. I also knew a bloke that was a plumber and he made $500K+ a year (after taxes) in the early 2000s - he ended up owning $millions of business property as investment and retired early to th an absolute mansion on the Sunshine Coast in QLD - he was a very smart bloke - and although he never did an IQ tests I get it would have been around 100/110 - he said that he left school at 16 and started working for his Uncle as an apprentice plumber.   

My dad had an above genius level. He was a whizz at everything he did, from building his own Ham radio from scratch, to old school photography, magic and most things electronic. He always wanted me to try things he was into but the only things I liked that he did was hunting and fishing, yet we never hunted together. There are many facets of an IQ and yes, tests don't show all of it.

 

My ex wife and ex girlfriend, who I had children with, both had a 90 IQ and all my children from them are very smart, so it obviously came from my dad's side. Their school tests, which aren't an accurate judge, as children much of the time don't care about those tests and only want to get them over with, still showed them to have an above average score. I can see some of their weaknesses and strengths, like all people who are intelligent. My son is smart in some things, graduated college and has a pilot's license, but he lacks in others. Same for my daughters. A lot goes into the intricacies of the brain, and we don't use but a fraction of it so who knows what some can do if they put their mind to it. Some very smart people don't succeed like you pointed out, and some who aren't too bright end up rich.