The news
The Coursera Global Skills Report 2026, released by Coursera (COUR) on September 29, 2026, ranks the US eighth of 98 countries on a new AI-Human Skills Synergy Index. The US placed first on AI policy and infrastructure readiness but 27th on learner proficiency.
The company said the index measures how far a country's population is building AI skills alongside the human skills needed to apply them, adjusted for the country's broader readiness. Coursera's report page says it blends learning signals from its platform, including proficiency and skill breadth, with Oxford Insights' Government AI Readiness Index. The learning data comes from a subset of more than 300 million Coursera and Udemy learners.
Germany ranked first and France second, followed by Japan, Korea and Hong Kong in third through fifth place. The Netherlands placed seventh. Coursera said Europe is home to 25 of the top 31 countries on the index.
The US gap sits between national investment and individual skill. Anthony Salcito, Coursera's president of enterprise, said the US has built the policy and infrastructure base to lead on AI, but “our data shows the workforce hasn't caught up.” He said the gap between the two rankings is a major risk, because technology investment alone will not deliver results.
US learners are shifting what they study, according to the release. Enrollments in AI security courses rose 358% year over year among US learners, compared with 67% global growth in overall AI enrollments. US enrollments in critical thinking rose 206%, against a global increase of 107%, while complex problem-solving rose 213% and innovation 124%.
Coursera also said enrollments tied to agentic workflows, meaning processes in which AI agents carry out multi-step tasks, rose 236% on its platform. US micro-credential enrollments grew 16% year over year, while AI-focused micro-credentials rose 84%.
The numbers
- US rank on AI-Human Skills Synergy Index
- 8th of 98 countries
- US rank on learner proficiency
- 27th of 98
- US rank on AI policy and infrastructure readiness
- 1st
- US AI security course enrollments, year over year
- +358%
- Global growth in overall AI enrollments
- +67%
- US critical thinking enrollments, year over year
- +206% (global: +107%)
- Learners behind the data (Coursera and Udemy)
- More than 300 million
Why CEOs should care
For CEOs and CFOs, the finding is a reminder that AI licenses and compute do not create returns on their own. If Coursera's read is right, many US employees are not yet proficient enough to use the tools companies are buying. Before approving the next round of AI seats or agent pilots, ask for evidence of how staff actually use existing tools and what share of teams have been trained. Budget training alongside software, not after it.
For HR and learning leaders, the growth in critical thinking and problem-solving courses suggests employees see judgment as the scarce skill when AI drafts the first version. Measure proficiency with assessments rather than course completions. For CISOs, the jump in AI security enrollments points to demand for skills in securing models, data flows and agents; check whether your security team has a training plan for the AI systems the business is deploying.
Boards should read the index with its limits in mind. It is built from people who chose to learn on Coursera and Udemy, not a census of the workforce, and it comes from a company that sells training to employers. Treat it as a directional signal and ask management for internal data on AI skills and adoption.
The bigger picture
This is the eighth edition of the report, and it draws on Udemy learner data following Coursera's combination with Udemy, which Inside Higher Ed reported was completed in May 2026. The index mixes platform data with a government readiness measure, so a country can score well on infrastructure and policy while its workers lag, which is the pattern Coursera describes for the US.
For multinational employers, the ranking also offers a rough map of where AI-ready talent is building fastest. Europe's heavy presence near the top, and the strong showing of Japan, Korea and Hong Kong, may matter for companies deciding where to place AI-heavy teams, though the index does not measure hiring markets directly.
What’s next
Coursera's full report includes country-level results that leaders with teams in several countries can compare against their own footprint before setting 2027 training budgets. The more useful test will come inside each company: whether AI spending is matched by measured gains in employee proficiency over the next year.
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