By Greg Hart, Coursera CEO

I’m excited to share the seventh edition of Coursera’s annual World Expertise Report, providing complete insights on the talent calls for shaping the way forward for work. Drawing on information from our group of greater than 170 million learners, this yr’s report reveals the place talent proficiency is rising across the globe, the place gaps stay, and what’s driving learner habits throughout 100+ international locations.

Generative AI (GenAI) has quickly gained each funding and trade adoption. Developments on Coursera mirror this momentum, with GenAI enrollments surging by 195% year-over-year and surpassing 8 million in whole. In 2025, Coursera’s 700 GenAI programs have averaged 12 enrollments per minute—a dramatic improve from 1 per minute in 2023 and eight in 2024—making GenAI the fastest-growing talent class on Coursera. India now has probably the most GenAI course enrollments of any nation, with over 1.3 million enrollments in 2024.

I’m significantly impressed by how on-line studying is making a stage taking part in discipline for hundreds of thousands of learners throughout rising markets, particularly in new areas like GenAI. Prior to now yr, GenAI enrollment has greater than doubled throughout Asia Pacific, the Center East, and Africa. Latin America has seen a 425% improve in GenAI enrollments, the very best wherever.

This yr’s talent proficiency rankings are based mostly on a sturdy methodology that mixes Coursera learner information with trusted exterior indicators, together with World Financial institution metrics akin to their Human Capital Index and Labour Drive Participation information. The inclusion of this key third-party financial information permits us to corroborate our on-platform scores with exterior metrics, capturing a extra holistic view of learner talent utility within the financial system.

Key Findings:

• In our total world abilities rating, European nations occupy 9 of the highest ten ranks. Switzerland retains its standing on the high of the rankings, with the Netherlands 2nd, and Sweden third.
  • Singapore (4th) is APAC’s main abilities hotspot. Hong Kong (thirteenth), South Korea (14th), and Japan (seventeenth) additionally attain top-20 positions.
  • In distinction, main Anglophone nations, akin to the UK (twenty second), Australia (twenty third), and United States (twenty seventh) rank decrease. 
  • Latin America’s highest-ranked nation is Peru (forty fifth), with Uruguay (forty ninth) additionally among the many high 50. Learners within the area have acknowledged cybersecurity as a significant world abilities hole, with enrollments on this area from LATAM learners hovering 129% year-over-year (YOY).
  • The United Arab Emirates (thirty eighth) is MENA’s abilities chief, intently adopted by Qatar (fortieth). GenAI enrollments surged 344% within the UAE and 165% in Saudi Arabia YOY, with learner behaviour aligning with vital region-wide investments in AI and different digital applied sciences.
• Micro-credentials enhance learner employment outcomes, signalling key abilities to employers. Learners worldwide are responding. 
  • Coursera learner habits mirrors rising employer demand for candidates with micro-credentials, with Skilled Certificates enrollments rising throughout all areas.
  • We have now now recorded over 15.4 million enrollments in our portfolio of Entry-Stage Skilled Certificates This contains 37% progress in North America—the very best of any area—and 36% within the Center East and North Africa over the previous yr. 
• Cybersecurity enrollments rise quickly, however nonetheless lag behind world workforce demand.
  • Cybersecurity enrollments on Coursera rose in 2025—up 106% in Latin America, 20% in Europe, and 14% in Asia Pacific year-over-year.
  • Nonetheless, almost five million extra cybersecurity professionals are wanted worldwide, and fewer than half of organizations really feel “extremely ready” to defend towards AI-driven cyber threats.
• Ladies’s participation in on-line studying grows, however GenAI gender gaps persist
  • Ladies now symbolize 46% of Coursera’s world learner base, with some international locations demonstrating gender parity or larger.
  • For instance, 56% of Kazakhstan’s Coursera learners are feminine, and girls comprise 43% of the nation’s learners in GenAI programs. Nonetheless, the worldwide common for the feminine share of enrollments in GenAI programs on Coursera stays 32%.
  • Offering versatile credentials, confidence-building sources, and extra feminine position fashions is essential to reaching inclusive AI-driven progress worldwide.

To raised assess world AI readiness, we’ve additionally launched an AI Maturity Index, which enhances our nation rankings for proficiency in enterprise, expertise, and information abilities. The Index combines learner information with metrics from the Worldwide Financial Fund and Organisation for Financial Co-operation and Growth to rank international locations worldwide on AI analysis and innovation. Leaders all over the world can use it to establish AI studying hotspots, perceive regional progress, and pinpoint AI expertise hubs. 

Nations main in our new AI Maturity Index—which highlights international locations finest outfitted to harness AI innovation and translate abilities into real-world functions—embody Singapore (#1), Denmark (#2), Switzerland (#3), america (#4), and Finland (#5). European nations additionally stand out on this index, occupying 8 of the highest 10 ranks. 

The Coursera World Expertise Report 2025 presents a transparent name to motion — whether or not you’re shaping nationwide training coverage, constructing company studying applications, or aligning educational curricula with real-world wants. Coursera is dedicated to partnering with leaders throughout areas and sectors to attain a extra inclusive, promising future for employees all over the world.