— National IQ research
Average IQ in Nigeria
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Estimated avg IQ
68
Percentile
2th
Region
Sub-Saharan Africa
vs world avg (82)
14 points below
Published cross-national IQ research places Nigeria at an estimated national average IQ of around 68. This is a population mean estimate with wide confidence intervals — not a fixed number.
Nigeria's estimated average is among the lowest in published research, reflecting chronic underinvestment in education and healthcare. Nigeria's urban educated class performs substantially above the national average.
— Try one before you read on
Continue the pattern: A, C, F, J, O, ?
Gaps grow by 1 each time: +2, +3, +4, +5, +6. O+6 = U.
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Important caveats about national IQ averages
→Pause. Find out YOUR IQ before you keep reading.National IQ averages are widely cited but require careful interpretation:
- Within-country variation is enormous — typically 15-20 IQ points of standard deviation within any country, far larger than differences between countries
- Education and nutrition access are the strongest predictors of national average IQ — countries with better early childhood nutrition and schooling score higher
- Urban vs. rural gaps can be 10-15 points within the same country
- Measurement bias is real — tests developed in Western contexts may not perfectly transfer to other cultures
- Scores are rising in most countries (the Flynn effect) — estimates from 10+ years ago are already outdated
How do you compare?
Take a 20-minute IQ test and see your personal score — regardless of where you're from.
Countries with similar average IQ
→Curious how YOU score? 20-min calibrated test.- Average IQ in Kenya — estimated 72
- Average IQ in Ethiopia — estimated 69
What drives differences in national IQ?
→The numbers above? Find out where YOU land.Cross-national cognitive differences are strongly predicted by:
- Per-capita spending on education, particularly in early childhood
- Childhood nutrition — iodine, iron, and protein deficiency in early years have measurable cognitive effects
- Infectious disease burden — diseases that divert metabolic resources away from brain development
- Genetic diversity — surprisingly, more genetically diverse populations tend to score higher, not lower
- GDP per capita — as a proxy for all of the above
These factors suggest that national IQ averages are highly malleable — nutrition and education interventions reliably raise them over 1-2 generations.