The Flynn effect in Europe - Effects of sex and region

•The Flynn effect varies across Northern, Central, and Southern Europe.•Rapid increases in regional development are coupled with larger Flynn effects.•Overall in Europe, the Flynn effect is larger for women than for men.

The Flynn effect describes the observed improvement in cognitive performance over time among individuals of the same age. We examine if the Flynn effect varies across three European regions and whether there are sex differences in the extent of improvement over time. Using SHARE-data, with a study population of 34,300 non-institutionalized individuals, aged between 50 and 84 years, we find that the Flynn effect is larger in regions which experienced the most rapid pace of development over time (Southern Europe), than in regions with relatively higher levels of development but less change over time (Central and Northern Europe). With respect to sex differences in the Flynn effect, we find that women, on the whole in Europe, have a larger Flynn effect than men. In the regional analyses, non-significant trends indicate that women gain more than men in Northern and Central Europe.