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It’s called the Flynn effect and it has been worldwide, meaning that people from relative high IQ countries in 1900 have become relatively more intelligent. The distribution is still about the same worldwide. India is still sending us the B-team, because they ran out of the A-team long ago and it’s hurting Americans.

Yes, there has been a significant increase in IQ scores among populations in India since 1900, consistent with the global phenomenon known as the Flynn effect, where IQ test performance has risen over time due to factors like improved nutrition, education, healthcare, and environmental changes. This effect has been observed worldwide, with an average rise of about 3 IQ points per decade since the early 20th century, amounting to roughly 30-40 points over the past 125 years when comparing performance on the same tests. In developing countries like India, these gains have been even more pronounced compared to developed nations, with some of the largest leaps reported in India and China.

Studies and expert analyses confirm this trend applies to India, where cognitive abilities have shown improvements across generations, though the exact magnitude can vary based on test norms and regional factors. For context, if early 20th-century Indians took modern IQ tests, their average scores would likely be in the 60-70 range (adjusted to today’s norms), while today’s averages are estimated around 80-85, reflecting substantial progress tied to socioeconomic development.

That said, some recent data suggests a potential slowdown or slight decline in average IQ scores in India since the early 2000s (e.g., from around 82 to 76), possibly due to uneven access to education, population growth, or measurement inconsistencies, but this does not negate the long-term upward trend since 1900. The Flynn effect is considered “massive” by researchers, and India’s rapid economic and social changes have contributed to it, though gains may plateau as the country develops further.