Kenya Data & Stats@Stats_Kenya
Due to Public Demand: What is Kenya's average IQ, and how was it measured? Kenya has an average IQ of 75.2.
1. EMBU 79.62
2. EMBU 77.96
3. NAIROBI 75.08
4. NAKURU 72.47
5. KILIFI 70.05
6. BONDO, Ugingo Village 65.62
For more details, this post summarizes everything you need to know about IQ testing in Kenya.
Kenya’s average IQ was determined from studies conducted on Kenyan children and adults from different regions. In 2001, a sample of 1370 children in Nakuru were given the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM), a culturally unbiased IQ test. Most of the children in this study were between 6 years of age and 10 years. All the children were between class one and class five. The sample had a total of 583 boys and 637 girls. Half of the students were Kikuyu (605 students), Luo (252), Luhya (134), Kisii (82), Kalenjin (57), and 79 other children from other ethnicities. The study found the average IQ of the students in the study sample to be 72.47.
Another study was conducted in Nyanza province in 2001. It involved a sample of 85 children, 43 boys and 42 girls, living in Ugingo village in Bondo. The children's ages ranged between 12 and 15. The children took various tests to measure intelligence, including a Dholuo vocabulary test, an English vocabulary test, and an abstract reasoning test. The test results found that the average IQ of the children was 65.62.
In 2007, researchers conducted a study to find out the effect of meat supplementation on the cognitive abilities of Kenyan children living in Embu. Twelve primary schools were selected, each assigned one of four groups. The test group received meat in addition to the Githeri they ate at school, while the rest acted as control groups. The children's IQ was measured using the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices, which yielded an average IQ of 77.96 after analysis.
In 1984, another study was conducted in Embu to measure the Flynn effect (The observed rise of IQs over time) over a 14-year period. The initial study was conducted in 1984 with a sample of 118 children with a mean age of seven years. The final study was conducted in 1998 with a sample of 537 children. Different IQ tests were used, including Raven’s Progressive Matrices, a digit span test, and a verbal meaning test with culturally appropriate pictures. The initial study recorded an average IQ of 69.89, while the final study recorded an average IQ of 79.62. This last figure was used in the calculation of the mean.
In 1985, a study of 205 adults conducted in Nairobi also established the average IQ of Kenyans to be within the same range. The study sample comprised working individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds, primary and secondary school graduates, and occupations. The study established that the average IQ of the individuals was 75.08.
Children from Kilifi also participated in a 2013 study to establish methods of testing the IQs of children from non-western countries, considering the cultural differences between western and African children. 308 children aged between 8 and 11 were included in the study. The study found ways of testing children using culturally appropriate techniques and successfully established test scores from the Raven Progressive Matrices. The tests administered revealed an average IQ of 70.05.
Note: Check the chart for references.
