Social media users are spreading information that Ukraine allegedly ranked last in Europe for average IQ levels on the portal International IQ Test. According to this claim, Ukraine ranked 78th out of 127 countries globally, with a score of 95.55.  

The International IQ Test is one of many online tests for determining an individual's intelligence level. In addition to offering tests, the portal publishes a ranking of countries based on their average IQ, which is updated annually on January 1 using data from the previous year. This year, the site did indeed rank Ukraine 78th out of 127 countries. However, this ranking is based solely on scores from the platform's users. The International IQ Test gathers data only from those who take its specific test, ignoring results from other IQ tests available online.  

In reality, there is no universally recognized or entirely accurate IQ test. Different methods are used to create such tests, and specialists often employ several different tests to achieve more precise results.  

Furthermore, comparing countries by citizens' IQ levels is methodologically flawed. Intelligence is always shaped by cultural background, making it impossible to create a universal test. A test consisting of 40 questions cannot reliably measure such a complex phenomenon as intelligence, which remains only partially understood by science.  

Several methodological errors were made in forming the International IQ Test country rankings. For instance, an accurate calculation requires a uniform sample size of participants across all countries. However, in this ranking, the number of participants per country varies significantly—from around 4,000 users from Iran to almost 150,000 from Japan.  

Anyone can add their score to a country's ranking on the site by simply selecting the country after completing the test. The platform does not automatically detect a user's country of origin, meaning participants can choose any country they wish. Moreover, users are allowed unlimited attempts, making it easy to manipulate the results for a specific country, either manually or using bots.  

The website provides no information about whether the developers counter spam traffic, block mass submissions from identical IP addresses, or exclude such profiles from the annual statistics.  

It is also suspicious that in 2023, Russia ranked 26th in the IQ test rankings but suddenly jumped to 6th place in 2024. This raises the possibility that the results were artificially inflated to manipulate the rankings.  

Thus, the ranking contains numerous methodological flaws, making it impossible to draw reliable conclusions about the average IQ levels in different countries.  

Propagandists have repeatedly relied on unreliable rankings to discredit Ukraine and divert Russians' attention from domestic problems.  

Previously, we analyzed the false claim that Ukraine was allegedly ranked as the "worst country in the world for women" according to the 2023 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index.