Career paths of the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) medalists

Abstract

Each year, six exceptionally talented high school students from each country participate in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO). We thoroughly searched the internet to find the career paths of 2785 IMO medalists who participated in the competition from 1986 to 2005. We have found that the career paths of IMO medalists depend on their home country, despite their similar levels of mathematical talent. For example, the extent to which medalists studied abroad varies significantly among countries in the same geographical region and with comparable income levels. We also found that there is a high concentration in medalists’ foreign education. For example, MIT educated more foreign medalists than any country except for the United States both at the undergraduate and Ph.D. levels. Roughly half of the medalists ended up working abroad. Education is found to be an important channel for the migrant medalists. Although majority of the medalists were educated in mathematics, more than three quarters of their non-academic jobs are either software or economics-finance related jobs. Most medalists who became academics are specialized in mathematics. While the rate of becoming a mathematician academic is not dependent on the income level of the medalists' home country, those from higher-income countries tend to have higher academic performance.