15 Smartest Countries In Science, Not Math

It can be said that the 15 smartest countries in science, not math show evidence that a few nations possess talent in certain areas more than others. No wonder parents often start bragging about their toddler’s ability to count forwards and backwards during the first few years of life. Don’t we all look in delight when toddlers use their fingers to answer about their age? Learning more about 15 smartest countries in science, not math might help the little one to learn even faster.

Math is one of the most important topics in the world, as basically everything is based on mathematics. It teaches you logic while improving your mental efficiency as well. But besides working on those numbers , perhaps more attention should be payed on science and the smartest countries in science, not math.

But science is also part of our daily lives and some countries teach it better than others. So, since schools are getting to be more competitive starting at kindergarten or earlier, understanding which are the smartest countries in science, not math might provide some clues to what to expose your child first in life. You can also expand your search to 15 Smartest Countries in Reading Comprehension.

The stereotype of an Asian being exceptionally smart has been proven to be true, as evidenced by the latest rankings in the PISA test conducted by the OECD, where the top 6 countries belong to the continent. So why are Asians good at math? Is it in their genes? After all, many Asian universities have improved upon their ranking to reach the top 50 in the world, with some even outperforming prestigious Western institutions such as Yale.

Meanwhile, China, Japan, and South Korea top the list of countries by academia, having published the most articles in the world. But wait, don’t pack your bags to move to those countries yet. Are they part of the  15 smartest countries in science, not math in the world? Let’s learn more about those 15 smartest countries in science, not math.

Perhaps, the reason behind this exceptional performance lies in how they are taught the subject. For example, in Japan, students are often taught a poem which in turn teaches them the timetable, hence resulting in them being able to recite tables very quickly. Meanwhile, in China, memorization and rote learning are the preferred methods of teaching.

Of course, this means that instead of opening student’s minds and focusing on their learning, teachers and institutions focus on their memorization skills which is no way to judge someone’s intelligence. In fact, this is why severe criticism has been directed at these Asian countries, with claims that they actually reduce the effectiveness of learning.

I tend to agree with this belief, as an open mind will always be able to learn and achieve more when compared with a mind which has always relied on memorization. After all, if you tell a child to do something without telling him why, he will go on simply accepting things as they are, without understanding them. You will basically have a robot. Thus, for a more accurate intelligence report, you might want to consult the list of countries by IQ.

You might consider it surprising that India does not feature on the list, considering it has a population of over 1.2 billion. However, the reason behind this is that India has refused to participate in the test, stating that it is biased in the favor of Western countries and does not incorporate Indian socioeconomic culture, which is why it would fare badly even if it did participate.

Here are the 15 Smartest Countries In Science, Not Math.

15. Belgium

The beauty of living in a small continent, Europe,  surrounded by different countries that spoke different languages, Belgium is regulated by the government and run by three communities, namely German, Flemish and French, Belgium’s education system is second to none.

14. Slovenia

Slovenia has focused on its educational policies, which have been regulated by the federal government to ensure excellent education.

13. Finland

Finland’s unique brand of teaching focuses on one on one issues, addressing each child separately, a method which has produced immense results.

12. Denmark

Free education in public schools while making it compulsory as well has reaped dividends for the education system in the country.

11. Netherlands

Another nation where education instead of being standardized focuses on the needs and wants of each student, the Netherlands have steadily improved in this regard.

10. Canada

Canada has many advances policies in education which have helped it become one of the 15 smartest countries in Math not Science, as seen in Pisa exam proves Canadian Kids are smarter than American Kids in Math, Reading and Science.

9. Estonia

Estonia is an amazing country, and its education system is just one of the many jewels making it an attractive proposition.

8. Switzerland

Switzerland has even mentioned in its constitution that education should be free in public schools, and ensured that this is followed admirably.

7. South Korea

South Korea has established a fine education system which is one of the best overall in the entire continent.

6. China

While performing well in the test, China has faced criticism for the intense pressure that its student face.

5. Japan

Education is a strong part of Japanese culture, and that does not look to be coming to an end any time soon.

4. Taiwan

A literacy of 96.1% has been achieved through the perseverance of the government and showcasing the benefits of achieving the quality education.

3. Macao

While most of the schools in the nation are private or subsidized, they have the full-fledged support of the government, which has enabled it to develop an excellent education system.

2. Hong Kong

Like China, Hong Kong has also attracted criticism for the unrelenting pressure on students to achieve high positions in education, taking off some of the gloss of their achievements.

1. Singapore

Topping the list of 15 smartest countries in Math, not Science, Singapore has an education system which encourages and emphasizes rote learning, enabling its students to develop high scores but low powers of critical thinking.