South Korea's digital and AI competitiveness stands at 10th worldwide. In particular, the “Technology Infrastructure” and “Efficiency” categories, which incorporate numerous AI-related indicators, climbed to third place each, confirming the country's global competitiveness.
On the 11th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that Korea ranked 10th out of 70 countries in the International Institute for Management Development's (IMD) “2026 World Digital and AI Competitiveness (WDAIR) assessment,” climbing eight places from the previous year.
In particular, four of the six newly introduced AI indicators, including the “AI Adoption Index” (8th place), ranked in the top 12, demonstrating generally high competitiveness. By contrast, relatively low rankings for “Companies' Understanding of AI Security Risks” (25th) and “Codified AI Policies” (30th) showed disparities among the AI indicators.
By country, the United States, which ranked fourth last year, rose to first, while Canada, previously ranked first, fell to fifth. In the Asia-Pacific region, Singapore ranked highest at second, followed by China (7th) and Japan (19th).
Across the five major categories, rankings rose in all areas: Governance (34th→27th), Technology Infrastructure (7th→3rd), Efficiency (13th→3rd), Talent Development (24th→20th), and Values and Behaviors (19th→16th).
First, among the sub-indicators in governance, Korea placed first in the Government Core Systems Index (new), while its rankings improved in Public-Private Cooperation for Supporting Technology Development (59th→35th) and Codified AI Policies (32nd→30th). In technology infrastructure, it maintained first place in total R&D spending relative to GDP and ranked eighth in AI papers. Its ranking also improved in Ease of Securing Venture Capital (46th→35th).
In Efficiency, it ranked eighth in the AI Adoption Index (new) and 18th in Implementation of the National AI Strategy (new), with rankings improving across indicators such as Corporate Agility (46th→20th). In Talent Development, it placed eighth in the newly established AI Readiness Index and 12th in the AI Education Index. Rankings also rose in indicators such as Attracting Highly Skilled Talent from Overseas (61st→44th).
Meanwhile, in Values and Behaviors, Korea placed 10th in Public Trust in AI (new) and 25th in Companies' Understanding of AI Security Risks (new), while its ranking also improved in Flexibility and Adaptability to New Challenges (33rd→26th).
Lee Do-gyu, Director General of the ICT Policy Office at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “The eight-place rise in the digital and AI competitiveness ranking from the previous year reflects our country's high resilience and the government's commitment to AI. Going forward, we will continue to steadily pursue key digital and AI policies, including the three mega-projects and seven SEED projects, to continuously improve our digital and AI competitiveness.”
Reporter Lee Jeong-hwan ryanlee@aitimes.com
