Economic, educational, and IQ gains in eastern Germany 1990–2006

Lynn and Vanhanen (2012) have convincingly established that national IQs correlate positively with GDP, education, and many other social and economic factors. The direction of causality remains debatable. The present study re-examines data from military psychological assessments of the German federal army that show strong IQ gains of 0.5 IQ point per annum for East German conscripts in the 1990s, after the reunification of the country. An analysis of IQ, GDP, and educational gains in 16 German federal states between 1990 and 1998 shows that IQ gains had a .89 correlation with GDP gains and a .78 correlation with educational gains. The short time frame excludes significant effects of biological or genetic factors on IQ gains. These observations suggest a causal direction from GDP and education to IQ.

► Conscript assessment and PISA data show strong IQ gains in eastern Germany 1990–2006.
► There was a strong rise in GDP and education in eastern Germany 1990–2006.
► The short time frame suggests a causal direction from GDP and education to IQ.