Canada is way smarter than the U.S., according to new report
Sorry, America, but Canadaâs got another thing to brag about this week.
According to a new report from financial comparison website TradingPlatforms, Canada is one of the âsmartestâ countries in the world, landing in 10th place out of 80 countries on its 2026 Global Intelligence Ranking.
The ranking looks at a combination of education, scientific research, and problem-solving skills, essentially asking which countries have the brains and the academic receipts to back them up.
TradingPlatforms analysed the latest results from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)âs 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures student performance in mathematics, reading, science, and computational problem-solving.
It then combined each countryâs average PISA score with its high-quality research output and national average IQ to calculate a âSmartness Scoreâ between 0 and 100.
According to the report, the countries that manage to bring strong education, investment in science and research, and problem-solving skills together are the ones that really stand out.
Canada earned a Smartness Score of 59.36, putting it in 10th place overall. Its PISA scores were relatively high, while the country ranked sixth in total high-quality scientific publications and 18th when those publications were adjusted for population.
Yes, we’re are smart but weâre not that smart, apparently.
Singapore took the top spot with an overall Smartness Score of 87.13, followed by Switzerland at 80.18 and South Korea at 68.25.
Canada managed to edge out several Scandinavian countries, including Norway, Sweden, and Finland â famously known for being the happiest country in the world.
Of course, we couldnât look at this ranking without giving our neighbour to the south a slight side-eye.
The U.S. landed in 18th place with a total score of 53.88 and trailed Canada in all three categories.
When it comes to cognitive ability, the report also ranked countries by average IQ level.
Canada was in 11th place overall with an average score of 102.09, while the U.S. came in 14th place with 101.04.
Itâs not exactly a massive difference but hey, every decimal point matters.
Many of the countries ranking highest for average IQ are in East Asia, including the top three: South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.
âThis strongly coincides with well-developed education systems that place a strong emphasis on academic achievement, mathematics, and science,â the report says, pointing to a broader pattern first documented by researcher James Flynn, who found that average scores rise as schooling, nutrition, and living standards in certain countries improve.
You can read the full 2026 Global Intelligence Ranking report online.