TLDR: India has emerged as a global leader in Generative AI (GenAI) learning, recording the highest number of enrollments worldwide, according to the Coursera Global Skills Report 2025. Despite this surge in specialized tech skills, the nation ranks 89th globally in overall skills proficiency. The report highlights a significant increase in demand for AI, full-stack development, and DevOps skills, reflecting India’s rapid push towards a technology-driven workforce.
The recently released Coursera Global Skills Report 2025 reveals a dynamic landscape for India’s workforce, marked by an unprecedented surge in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and technology-related skills. India has distinguished itself as the global frontrunner in Generative AI (GenAI) learning, registering a remarkable 107% year-on-year increase in enrollments, accumulating over 2.6 million GenAI learners to date – the highest worldwide. This robust growth underscores India’s deepening commitment to digital transformation and job-relevant education.
Despite this impressive specialization, the report, now in its seventh year, places India at 89th globally for overall skills proficiency among 109 nations, and 19th within the Asia Pacific region. Indian learners demonstrate varying levels of proficiency across key domains: 18% in business, 22% in technology, and 20% in data science.
The ‘AI Maturity Index’ introduced in the 2025 report positions India in the mid-tier, at 46th place. This ranking signals a burgeoning yet uneven ecosystem for AI innovation and talent development, indicating areas where further strengthening is required.
The country’s ambitious digital and AI goals are evident in the soaring demand for digital and AI talent. Projections from ‘India’s AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat’ estimate a need for one million AI-skilled professionals by 2026. This demand is mirrored by evolving hiring practices; the World Economic Forum reports that 30% of Indian employers, significantly higher than the global average of 19%, are transitioning to skills-based hiring by removing traditional degree requirements. Coursera’s data supports this shift, with Professional Certificate enrollments growing by 23% year-on-year, alongside rising demand for employer-prioritized skills such as AI/ML (+84%), customer service (+41%), and curiosity (+32%).
India’s rapidly expanding learner base on Coursera now exceeds 31 million, surpassing Europe in total learner numbers. A notable trend is the high mobile adoption, with over half (52%) of Indian Coursera learners accessing the platform via mobile devices, reflecting widespread digital access and a preference for flexible learning.
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However, the report also highlights existing challenges, particularly gender imbalances in tech learning. Only 30% of GenAI learners are women, compared to 40% of overall Coursera enrollments, and just 26% of Professional Certificate learners are women. These disparities emphasize the need for more inclusive participation in emerging technology fields. Furthermore, while India’s median learner age is 31 and the country is expected to contribute 24% of global workforce growth over the next decade (with 68% of the population projected to be of working age by 2030), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) reports that 47% of Indian workers, including 62% of women, are currently underqualified for their jobs.
