11 Smartest Countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean

What are the smartest countries in South America and the Caribbean? Previously we covered the dumbest countries in Asia and Europe. This time, we will talk about the smartest countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean as we analyze more of what makes a nation smart or dumb.

It is easy to identify a smart person but when it comes to finding smartest or dumbest countries, the task is a real hard one! There is no authentic study or research that can name a country smartest and to produce a list, such as this – the system is a very complex one. Even the word “smart” is hard to define as it used in so many ways. A person who is well educated can be smart for some; others might simply find someone with a peculiar sense of humor smart. Similarly, a person who is well-dressed and behaves nicely can also be called smart. The situation gets tougher when we move onto the smartest countries as there are even more scales that can measure the smartness of a country. One can easily look for countries with highest literacy rate but the World Bank defines literacy as an ability of an individual (15+) who can read, write and understand a simple statement. The question here is would you be calling such an individual “smart”? Of course not! Or a country that produces the most number of engineers but is not able to retain them?

To create a list of 11 smartest countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean we have adapted a different strategy. We have taken 4 categories according to which one may assess the smartness of a country and have averaged out their score to create our unique list of 11. The categories that we have selected are “quality of math and science education” “the use of internet” “advancement in technology sector” and “higher education enrollment rate”. Our rankings are mainly based on the report of WEF published as “Global Competitiveness 2014-2015 Report”.  For a detailed discussion of this methodology please read our article about the dumbest countries in the world.

Let’s quickly get down to number and discover which country stands at number 11.

11. Brazil

At number 11 we have Brazil, one of the members of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) the pool of top 4 emerging economies of the world. Brazil has shown some great promise in recent times and the figures mentioned below continue to improve.

Quality of math and science education: 2.6

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 14

Tertiary education enrollment %: 25.6

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 62

Patent applications/million: 3.2

Rank based on patent applications: 98

Percent of individuals using internet: 51.6

Rank based on internet access: 86

Average ranking score: 65

10. Panama

Panama is famous for its beauty but on a closer look to the stats by WEF, it is also performing nicely in higher education enrollment and advancement in technology.

Quality of math and science education: 3.3

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 40

Tertiary education enrollment %: 41.8

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 87

Patent applications/million: 1.4

Rank based on patent applications: 84

Percent of individuals using internet: 42.9

Rank based on internet access: 69

Average ranking score: 70

9. Columbia

Colombia is situated in South America and known for its lush forests. The country is at number 9 in our list due to quick technological developments in the country.

Quality of math and science education: 3.3

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 38

Tertiary education enrollment %: 45

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 90

Patent applications/million: 1.24

Rank based on patent applications: 80

Percent of individuals using internet: 51.7

Rank based on internet access: 87

Average ranking score: 73.75

8. Venezuela

Another South American State, Venezuela is famous for its natural beauty. Other than that the country is performing nicely when it comes to tertiary education enrollment rate.

Quality of math and science education: 3.1

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 28

Tertiary education enrollment %: 78.1

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 135

Patent applications/million: 0.25

Rank based on patent applications: 56

Percent of individuals using internet: 54.9

Rank based on internet access: 90

Average ranking score: 77.25

7. Uruguay

Country famous for its soccer, Uruguay is also very good when it comes to technological advancements.

Quality of math and science education: 2.9

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 23

Tertiary education enrollment %: 63.1

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 118

Patent applications/million: 2.38

Rank based on patent applications: 93

Percent of individuals using internet: 58.1

Rank based on internet access: 93

Average ranking score: 81.75

6. Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago is an island state, a twin island state actually. The country has recently seen good advancement in the field of Internet and tech.

Quality of math and science education: 4.6

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 115

Tertiary education enrollment %: 11.9

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 35

Patent applications/million: 0.96

Rank based on patent applications: 74

Percent of individuals using internet: 63.8

Rank based on internet access: 105

Average ranking score: 82.25

5. Argentina

Other than Maradona (the soccer player) the country is also famous for a good number of its citizen going for higher studies.

Quality of math and science education: 3.2

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 34

Tertiary education enrollment %: 78.6

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 136

Patent applications/million: 1.36

Rank based on patent applications: 83

Percent of individuals using internet: 59.9

Rank based on internet access: 97

Average ranking score: 87.5

4. Costa Rica

Costa Rica performs better than the average in all the below categories.

Quality of math and science education: 4.4

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 103

Tertiary education enrollment %: 46.7

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 95

Patent applications/million: 1.34

Rank based on patent applications: 82

Percent of individuals using internet: 45.9

Rank based on internet access: 77

Average ranking score: 89.25

3. Chile

With deep history and culture, Chile is doing great when it comes to quality and system of education.

Quality of math and science education: 3.5

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 48

Tertiary education enrollment %: 74.4

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 131

Patent applications/million: 6.69

Rank based on patent applications: 105

Percent of individuals using internet: 66.5

Rank based on internet access: 109

Average ranking score: 98.25

2. Puerto Rico

An island known for its natural landscapes, Puerto Rico is also among the world’s best when it comes to higher education enrollment.

Quality of math and science education: 3.8

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 56

Tertiary education enrollment %: 86.5

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 146

Patent applications/million: 2.11

Rank based on patent applications: 90

Percent of individuals using internet: 73.9

Rank based on internet access: 120

Average ranking score: 103

1. Barbados

A country loved by scuba drivers, Barbados is at number 1 in our list of 11 Smartest Countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean mainly because its great advancement in the technology sector.

Quality of math and science education: 5.4

Rank based on quality of math and science education: 145

Tertiary education enrollment %: 60.8

Rank based on tertiary education enrollment: 109

Patent applications/million: 40.6

Rank based on patent applications: 124

Percent of individuals using internet: 75

Rank based on internet access: 123

Average ranking score: 125.25