Regional Differences in Intelligence and Educational Level in Denmark

S ummary . Intelligence test scores and educational levels of a representative sample of 71,768 draftees are reported for seven geographical regions in Denmark. Differences between the regions were found for both variables. However, analysis revealed that 92 per cent of the regional variation in intelligence test scores could be reproduced from the corresponding differences in educational level. These latter appear to be related to regional urbanisation and population density. The results are interpreted as suggesting that differences in intelligence between urban and rural areas arise from contemporary differences in the provision of education rather than, as is sometimes hypothesised, from the cumulative effect of previous generations of selective migration of relatively more intelligent people from rural to urban areas.