IQ isn’t really real. It’s almost always a measure of education level which is directly correlated with wealth.
Take a look at a site like
https://iq-research.info/en/page/average-iq-by-country
And you’ll see rich countries that value education, particularly rote-learning, at the top (I’d like to point out Taiwan at #4!). And then poor nations and/or those who don’t value education at the bottom.
I can speak directly to the experience of Taiwan - yes the country does well at rote tasks, but students here have a terrible time trying to think critically or creatively. Any kind of ‘outside the box’ thinking is hugely problematic for the Taiwanese (in general). The same is very much true in South Korea and China.
Basically, anytime someone brings up IQ you should stop listening to them, because whatever they’re going to say next is going to be untrue, misleading, or not based in evidence. It’s like phrenology: an outdated pseudo-scientific concept.
Except for facts, your theory seems plausible. But alas, there are those pesky facts.
Education only partially accounts for overall intelligence. The majority is genetic. Currently, mass media outlets like to limit it at 55%, but actual studies range in stating that from 55 to 80 percent of your intelligence is inherited. Identical twins separated at birth also match up very closely in their IQs. Highly intelligent parents produce a high average intelligence in their children. My aunts and uncles being a good example of this. Multiple doctors. One self taught engineer. Lawyers. I also have a very high IQ despite going through public school, and living in general poverty during my early years.
You can’t be this uninformed or blind.