Canada Reaches Global Top 10 on Intelligence Index, Eight Places Ahead of U.S.
Latest news on WhatsApp أجدد الأخبار على واتساب
Canada has ranked 10th among 80 countries in the 2026 Global Intelligence Ranking, finishing eight positions ahead of the United States in a composite index measuring student achievement, scientific research and cognitive-test results.
Canada received an overall Smartness Score of 59.36 out of 100, while the United States ranked 18th with 53.88 points, according to the study produced by financial comparison platform TradingPlatforms.
The index combines results from the OECD's 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) with measures of high-quality scientific research output and national averages drawn from international IQ-test data. The indicators were normalized to produce a single score for each country.
Canada remained a strong performer in the latest PISA cycle. Canadian 15-year-olds averaged 510 points in science, 490 in reading and 485 in mathematics, all above the corresponding OECD averages. Canada also recorded a score of 525 in computational problem-solving.
Research performance also contributed to Canada's overall position. The ranking placed the country sixth in total high-quality scientific publications and 18th after adjusting research output for population.
On the cognitive-test component used by the study, Canada recorded an average score of 102.09, placing 11th in that category. The United States averaged 101.04 and ranked 14th.
Singapore topped the overall ranking with 87.13 points, followed by Switzerland at 80.18 and South Korea at 68.25. The United Kingdom and New Zealand were among the countries finishing narrowly ahead of Canada.
The ranking should not, however, be interpreted as a definitive measure of how intelligent an entire population is. It is a composite index built from selected educational, research and cognitive indicators, while international IQ comparisons can be affected by differences in sampling, education, language and socioeconomic conditions.
Canada's top-10 finish also comes against a less favourable longer-term trend in student performance. Its 2025 PISA scores declined from the previous cycle in reading and mathematics, although Canadian students continued to perform above the OECD average across science, reading and mathematics.
