10 Most Intelligent Presidents in the World: IQ Rankings

10 most intelligent presidents in the world: IQ rankings will tell you all about the world’s smartest presidents based on their Intelligence Quotient scores.

That’s not fair, you say. IQ isn’t a gauge of a good presidency, you say. Of course, it isn’t. You’ll find out for sure when you read this list. Ironically, some of the smartest men who led the country have had the least successful terms. But we judge them by their IQ’s regardless.

But before you go do the same, keep in mind that there were many different presidents ranked. Those on this list (and the three runner’s up) don’t cover many in the grand scheme of things. And some of the presidents who didn’t make this list were some of the most successful. George Washington anyone?

We based our numbers off of three lists from reputable sites that all agreed with one another. This US News article, this Inside Gov article and this Business 2 Community article all claim the same numbers as far as the President’s Intelligence Quotas, so they’re sure to be accurate. We also got some of our information from Fun Education and Geni. Though there are many rumors about the intelligence scores of these media celebrities, so if you see a contradictory number out there, don’t kill the messenger.

Does the IQ of a country’s leader tend to match up with the IQ of its people? Find out by reading this 34 Smartest Countries in the World next.

For reference, Einstein is said to have had an IQ of 160 and anything over 140 is considered genius or near genius. Scores ranging from 120 to 140 are considered of very superior intelligence and 110 to 119 equals just superior intelligence. Numbers from 90 to 109 implicate normal or average intelligence.

But like we said, IQ hardly means a thing, at least having an uber high IQ doesn’t. Not only because smarts don’t take into account personality or heart, but because this is just one intelligence test that some guy named Lewis Terman invented in 1916. Yes, you read correctly. That was long after many of the presidents whose IQ scores were ranked here even lived. So, their scores are only roughly estimated.

The mark of a true leader means much more. But IQ scores are still fun to know. So our list of most intelligent presidents in the world starts now.

 

10. Bill Clinton (1993-2001, USA)

IQ: 148

Though he denied having relations with “that woman,” we can’t deny his brains are pretty savvy. He now works with the Clinton Foundation which supports job creation and women’s rights. And hey, does it also count that he almost became the first “first man” in American history?

 

9. John F. Kennedy (1961-1963, USA)

IQ: 150

America’s youngest president yet (and the most Catholic one yet), JFK saw his citizens through the Cuban Missile Crisis and gave the country hope in a dark time, along with his dashing wife Jacqueline. His sudden assassination still grieves the hearts of Americans to this day.

 

8. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809, USA)

IQ: 153

Good thing the US had a smarty like Jefferson write their official Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. He aided in starting a lasting and strong revolution, although maybe he did father a few black children with his favorite slave Sally.

 

7. Sven Olof Joachim Palme (1969-1976 and 1982-1986, Sweden)

IQ: 156

No wonder the land of delicious chocolates and cheeses had such a smart prime minister. Unfortunately, his assassination in 1986 had a profound impact on all of Scandinavia.

 

6. Donald Trump (2016-

IQ: 156

If there was a song “I’m smarty and I know it,” Trump would certainly be the singer. But even though he’s far from humble when it comes to IQ, he does have a pretty bad combover. And if you’d like to know more about his presidency, see your twitter feed.

 

5. Benjamin Disraeli (1868 and 1874-1880, United Kingdom)

IQ: 165

Under Queen Victoria, Disraeli served as prime minister and helped to establish the modern Conservative Party. He was also known as the first Earl of Beaconsfield. With a title like that, it’s not surprising he’s on our list of the world’s smartest presidents.

 

4. John Quincy Adams (1825-1829, USA)

IQ: 168

A quote: “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

 

3. Benjamin Netanyahu (1996-1999 and 2009- present, Israel)

IQ: 180

A seasoned member of the Israel Defense Forces, Netanyahu has fought in many wars and proved himself a capable leader. He also served as the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations from 1984 to 1988. And now, let’s see the top two most intelligent presidents in the world.

 

2. William Pitt, the Younger (1783-1801 and 1804-1806, England)

IQ: 190

This brainiac first served as prime minister of Great Britain, then went on to become the prime minister of all of the United Kingdom. Critics describe him as solitary, colorless and overconfident. Well, he was smarter than almost everyone.

 

1. Dr. Ing. Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie

(1998-1999, Indonesia)

IQ: 200

Just the 3rd president of Indonesia (they recently declared independence), this true genius of a man focused on liberalizing Indonesian politics and press, as well as creating the democracy that would, ironically, vote him out.

Runners up on our list of 10 most intelligent presidents in the world: IQ rankings include French Emperor (that’s kind of a president) Napoleon Bonaparte, and Americans Woodrow Wilson and Jimmy Carter all ringing in with IQ’s of 145.