Explaining Low IQ Scores in Africa, South Asia
By Riaz Haq
www.riazhaq.com
It has long been known that IQ scores vary by regions. The lowest average IQ scores have been measured in the African nations of Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon, Mozambique, Gabon, and highest score found in the nations of Singapore, South Korea, China, Japan, and Italy. However, the research surrounding intelligence assessment has been highly controversial and tainted by pseudo-sciences such as craniometry that was used by the Nazis to prove the white “race” as the most intelligent.
Here is some published data on average IQ scores of people from different races:
Richard Lynn, "Race Differences in Intelligence: An Evolutionary Analysis" 2006 Table 16.2 (indigenous populations) |
Estimated average IQ |
Arctic Peoples |
91 |
East Asians |
105 |
Europeans |
100 |
Native Americans (north & south) |
86 |
Southern Asian & Northern Africans |
84 |
Bushmen (southern Africa) |
54 |
Africans (subsaharan) |
67 |
Native Australians (aboriginals) |
62 |
Southeast Asians |
87 |
Pacific Islanders |
85 |
Apparently, this is a compilation of data from "credible sources" and published in respected journals such as American Journal of Psychology. The neutrality and factual accuracy of these studies and data have been questioned by many researchers and scientists. The most common criticisms are that these studies and tests are developed in the European context and they measure mainly problem-solving capability and skills, not innate intelligence.
For those who are curious, Pakistanis are included along with Indians in Southern Asia with an average IQ of 84, about 16 points below Europeans and almost 21 points behind East Asians including Chinese, Japanese and Koreans.
Recent data, published by the University of New Mexico and reported by Newsweek, shows that there is a link between lower IQs and prevalence of infectious diseases. Comparing data on national “disease burdens” (life years lost due to infectious diseases) with average intelligence scores, the authors found a striking inverse correlation—around 67 percent. They also found that the cognitive ability is rising in some countries than in others, and IQ scores have risen as nations develop—a phenomenon known as the “Flynn effect.”
According to the UNM study's author Christopher Eppig and his colleagues, the human brain is the “most costly organ in the human body.” The Newsweek article adds that the "brainpower gobbles up close to 90 percent of a newborn’s energy. It stands to reason, then, that if something interferes with energy intake while the brain is growing, the impact could be serious and long-lasting. And for vast swaths of the globe, the biggest threat to a child’s body—and hence brain—is parasitic infection. These illnesses threaten brain development in several ways. They can directly attack live tissue, which the body must then strain to replace. They can invade the digestive tract and block nutritional uptake. They can hijack the body’s cells for their own reproduction. And then there’s the energy diverted to the immune system to fight the infection. Out of all the parasites, the diarrheal ones may be the gravest threat — they can prevent the body from getting any nutrients at all".
The results of the study point to the need for fighting infectious diseases in the developing world with greater urgency. Reduction in infectious diseases like diarrhea, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and malaria can help improve the cognitive capabilities, and with it, the intelligence and the quality of life of billions in Africa and South Asia.
