Evidence ledgerAvailable measures
Every card keeps the measure, year, method, and limitations attached to the number—or explains why no number is shown.
70estimated IQ points
Informal national IQ estimate from HLO
A proof-of-concept conversion of Harmonized Learning Outcomes onto an IQ-like scale (mean 100, SD 15). It is an estimate, not a national IQ test.
Method and limits
IQ ≈ 100 + (HLO − 500) × 0.15, the common 100-point assessment to 15-point IQ scaling. Missing HLO rows are imputed first. This is not Lynn/Vanhanen and is not an official IQ ranking.
- Student assessment scores are not a census of adult IQ.
- The conversion is a demonstration scale for this private proof of concept.
- Do not treat small country differences as precise or causal.
Uncertainty: Informal atlas estimate for a missing official country-year (reference 2023). Not an official measurement or IQ test.
285.6HLO scale points
World Bank Harmonized Learning Outcomes (HD.HCI.HLOS)
A cross-assessment harmonized learning score on the World Bank HLO scale; it is not an IQ score.
Method and limits
The World Bank links international and regional student assessments onto a common learning scale. Where a later HCI+ HLO component exists, that country-year is preferred. Venezuela uses the HCI 2020 harmonized test score because later HCI+ files omit the country.
- Assessment years, tested grades, subjects, and coverage differ by country.
- Crosswalked achievement is not a direct measure of population IQ.
Uncertainty: Pinned to the latest reviewed country-year in the versioned snapshot (2023).
93.3percent
World Bank Learning Poverty: children unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10
The share below minimum reading proficiency, adjusted for children out of school; it is an education indicator, not IQ.
Method and limits
The World Bank combines minimum reading proficiency evidence with the share of primary-age children out of school.
- Reference years and assessment sources vary across countries.
- Modeling and out-of-school adjustment make this different from a single administered test.
Uncertainty: Pinned to the latest reviewed country-year in the versioned snapshot (2013).
80.2HCI+ index points
World Bank Human Capital Index Plus (HCI+)
A human-capital context index spanning health, education, on-the-job learning, and economic participation; it is not IQ.
Method and limits
The World Bank combines health, education, employment, and on-the-job learning components with evidence-based weights. This snapshot uses the public 2025 HCI+ overall index (hcip_mf_2025).
- The index is designed for human-capital productivity context, not individual cognitive assessment.
- Country comparisons inherit differences and uncertainty in component data.
Uncertainty: Pinned to the latest reviewed country-year in the versioned snapshot (2025).
0percent
UNESCO UIS SDG 4 minimum proficiency in reading (end of primary)
The percentage of students achieving at least minimum reading proficiency at the end of primary education (READ.PRIMARY, both sexes).
Method and limits
Missing UIS reading-proficiency rows are imputed from HLO using a cross-country regression and labeled as informal estimates.
- Values may be observed, adjusted, modeled, or unavailable depending on the UIS series dimensions.
- Minimum proficiency is an educational benchmark and cannot be relabeled as national IQ.
Uncertainty: Informal atlas estimate for a missing official country-year (reference 2023). Not an official measurement or IQ test.
10.8years
UNDP expected years of schooling
The number of years of schooling a child of school-entrance age can expect if current enrollment patterns persist; it is an education quantity indicator, not IQ.
Method and limits
UNDP compiles internationally comparable enrollment-based expected years of schooling for the Human Development Report. The snapshot uses the latest country-year in the 2025 composite-indices file, usually 2023.
- Expected years of schooling measures access and duration, not learning quality or intelligence.
- UNDP caps the value at 18 years when computing the HDI; the atlas pins the published series value, which can exceed 18.
Uncertainty: Pinned to the latest reviewed country-year in the versioned snapshot (2023).
37.3percent
UNESCO UIS adult literacy rate (ages 15+)
The percentage of adults who can read and write a simple statement about everyday life (LR.AG15T99, both sexes). It is not an IQ score.
Method and limits
UIS compiles census and survey literacy rates. The snapshot keeps the latest available country-year rather than interpolating missing years.
- Definitions, self-report versus tested literacy, and reference years differ across countries.
- High-income countries often omit literacy reporting because near-universal literacy is assumed.
- A literacy rate cannot be converted into national IQ.
Uncertainty: Pinned to the latest reviewed country-year in the versioned snapshot (2021).