UK climbs global skills leaderboard, scoring high on AI maturity
As economic pressures and AI innovations motivate countries around the world to invest in skills development, the UK has ranked 22nd globally out of 109 countries in skills proficiency. This ranking places the UK ahead of the US (27th) and China (39th), and sees it climb from 45th position last year.
This is according to Coursera’s seventh annual Global Skills Report, drawing on data from the company’s community of 170 million learners and 350+ university and industry partners, combined with leading indicators like the Global Innovation Index, the Human Capital Index, labour force participation and GDP per capita statistics.
While the UK has progressed in skills development, it still lags behind other European countries including the Netherlands (2nd), Germany (9th), Ireland (16th), and Sweden which comes in on top.
The UK’s placement fits a wider trend around European skilling excellence; Europe continues to lead in overall skill proficiency, with 68% of the world's “cutting-edge” or top-performing countries. Additionally, across skills competencies, there’s been a marked YoY increase for the UK’s global ranking – moving from 52nd to 16th in Business, 46th to 28th in Tech, and 32nd to 22nd in Data Science.
UK vs the world: AI maturity
In Coursera’s Global Skills Report, the UK ranks 13th globally in the AI Maturity Index, which highlights countries best equipped to harness AI innovation and translate skills into real-world applications. This primes the UK as a fertile ground for AI development, ahead of countries like Canada (16th) and Germany (14th).
Despite progress, the UK still lags behind countries including Singapore (1st), Denmark (2nd), Switzerland (3rd), the US (4th) and Finland (5th). The AI Maturity Index uses Coursera data combined with third-party metrics on AI preparedness and academic publications to highlight the strength of AI research, innovation, and learning worldwide.
AI maturity, coupled with strong investment in upskilling, is leading to an increase in AI-focused job roles across the UK. When it comes to UK employer prioritised skill trends according to Coursera data, AI & ML are up 99% YoY. Learner interest in GenAI has surged in the UK with enrolments rising 118% YoY, although this is behind the global rate of 195% YoY. However, in the UK cybersecurity skills – critical for protecting a digital economy – have experienced slower growth (+6%), highlighting a need for increased attention in this domain.
Professional Certification ramps up to meet in-demand skills
To accommodate rates of digitalisation, demand for advanced digital skills has risen sharply across the UK, with roles for Big Data Specialists increasing by 319% and AI and Machine Learning Specialists growing 151% in just the past year.
Coursera learners are actively pursuing these in-demand competencies, with Professional Certificate enrolments rising by 41% year-over-year in the UK. This is ahead of the global trend of positive growth in Professional Certificate enrolments across all regions, including 37% growth in North America and 34% in Europe.
When it comes to UK employer prioritised skill trends according to Coursera data, customer service (+84%) and curiosity (+31%) are up YoY, whereas skills like talent management are down 17% YoY. Coursera learners in the UK are responding to this demand with particularly strong interest in critical thinking courses (+26%).
Nikolaz Foucaud, Managing Director EMEA, Coursera: “The UK’s 22nd global ranking, up from 45th last year, showcases the country’s success in developing skills proficiency. With emerging tech dominating the business landscape, AI skills are highly sought after, and the UK’s AI maturity ranking 13th demonstrates a strong position for AI-driven innovation. Yet, despite this progress, the UK still trails leading European nations like Switzerland and Sweden, who dominate in both skills proficiency and AI readiness.
“As the demand for advanced digital skills accelerates, especially in GenAI, the UK's emphasis on micro-credentials and Professional Certificates reflects a strategic pivot towards a future-focused, skills-based economy. However, slow growth in cybersecurity signals potential vulnerabilities, emphasising the need for more holistic upskilling across key digital domains. The UK must now accelerate its investment in AI and digital resilience to solidify its place as a true leader in the global digital economy.”
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