Kuwait ranks 5th in Gulf, 69th globally in Coursera’s 2025 global skills report
Kuwait ranked fifth among Gulf countries and 69th globally in the 2025 Global Skills Proficiency Index (GSR), published by the online learning platform Coursera. This places Kuwait in the “Emerging Countries” category, which includes nations with skill proficiency levels ranging from 25% to 49%.
The report evaluated global skills across three core domains: business, technology, and data science. Kuwait demonstrated average performance in these areas but showed significant lag in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Maturity Index, ranking 72nd globally and sixth among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, reports Al-Rai daily.
Among GCC peers, the United Arab Emirates led the region, placing 38th globally, followed by Qatar (40th), Bahrain (51st), Saudi Arabia (54th), Kuwait (69th), and Oman (75th).
While Kuwait outperformed Oman in the overall skills index, it ranked below most Gulf countries in AI readiness.
Globally, Switzerland topped the overall skills ranking, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, and Finland, reflecting strong capabilities across technology, business, and data science.
At the other end of the spectrum, Yemen, Sudan, Ethiopia, Venezuela, and Iraq were the lowest-ranked countries, reflecting ongoing struggles in education systems and infrastructure.
Based on data from over 170 million learners and supported by external indicators from the IMF and World Bank, the report serves as a global benchmark for workforce readiness in the digital economy. It highlights the growing demand for generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) skills, noting a 195% increase in AI course enrollments within a year.
Despite this surge, the report emphasizes a persistent global skills gap, with more than two-thirds of employers citing talent shortages as a key obstacle to adopting new technologies.
