Presenting the 2024 Coursera International Expertise Report

By Jeff Maggioncalda, Coursera CEO

I’m delighted to current Coursera’s sixth annual International Expertise Report, a trusted useful resource for leaders and establishments worldwide to grasp the quickly remodeling expertise panorama. The report attracts on knowledge and insights from our international studying group—together with over 148 million learners and seven,000 institutional clients—and content material from 325 of the world’s main college and trade companions. To supply a holistic view, the report now combines our inside proficiency knowledge with main financial indices, together with international innovation, labor pressure participation, human capital, and GDP per capita.  

The report captures a number of vital tendencies pushed by GenAI, digital transformation, and automation. In 2023, a learner signed up for a GenAI course on Coursera each minute. By 2024, this charge had quadrupled. A 1,060% year-over-year enhance in international GenAI course enrollments highlights how learners are actively making ready for AI’s influence on their careers.

Key findings:

• European learners on the Coursera platform report the best expertise proficiency ranges. 19 of the highest 25 nations globally are from the area, with Switzerland rising as a world expertise chief.
  • In distinction, main Anglophone nations like New Zealand (fortieth), the UK (forty fifth), Australia (fifty fifth), Canada (59th), and america (69th) rank decrease.
  • Japanese learners are essentially the most proficient in Asia-Pacific, with Japan having risen from fifth to 2nd within the international rating.  It’s the solely APAC nation to function among the many prime ten. Singapore has risen from sixteenth to twelfth, whereas India ranks 87th
  • Latin America’s highest-ranked nation is Brazil (nineteenth), with Chile (twentieth) additionally among the many prime 20. Latin America and the Caribbean present a robust dedication to AI readiness, with GenAI course enrollment growing 882% year-over-year.
  • The Center East and North Africa are gearing up for digital transformation and commerce management, pushed by authorities investments in know-how infrastructure and logistics. The United Arab Emirates leads the area (thirty fourth globally) 
• AI literacy emerges as a world crucial within the wake of ChatGPT. GenAI course enrollments on Coursera surged over the previous 12 months as learners sought foundational AI expertise and enrolled in programs like “Immediate Engineering for ChatGPT” by Vanderbilt College and “Introduction to Generative AI” by Google Cloud.
  • Learners in areas like Latin America and the Caribbean are focusing extra on foundational expertise, whereas learners in North America are diving into extra superior programs like “Generative AI with Giant Language Fashions” by Amazon Net Providers and DeepLearning.AI. This implies that whereas areas are at completely different phases of AI adoption, there’s common recognition of the necessity to develop AI proficiency
• Micro-credentials proceed to arrange learners for in-demand digital jobs. Learners are more and more turning to trade micro-credentials, together with Skilled Certificates – for which we now have seen a 69% year-on-year enhance in enrolments – to achieve important digital expertise for jobs. With 60% of employees requiring retraining by 2027, the necessity for accessible studying pathways is extra urgent than ever. 
• The worldwide gender hole in on-line studying continues to slim, however regional disparities persist. Over the previous 12 months, extra ladies globally have been studying on Coursera, up from 43% in 2022 to 46% in 2023.
  • In North America and Europe, ladies expertise sturdy obstacles to equitable schooling and careers. Nevertheless, with a gender hole of 5 proportion factors, the hole is way smaller than nearly anyplace else
  • The Asia-Pacific area has a seven-percentage-point hole in gender enrolment, although nations like The Philippines and Thailand have achieved parity
  • The most important disparity is to be discovered within the Center East and North Africa. Right here, we see a 13-percentage-point distinction between feminine learners and ladies within the normal inhabitants
• Almost one-third of US employees lack foundational digital expertise, with employees of colour disproportionately affected. As the private and non-private sectors digitize, the necessity for extremely skilled STEM employees grows. Nevertheless, fewer than 100,000 US graduates incomes engineering and pc science levels annually.
  • The 1,058% surge in GenAI course enrollments and the 61% year-over-year development in Skilled Certificates enrollments amongst American learners show the nation’s dedication to closing this digital expertise hole and making ready for the digital economic system. 
  • Washington is america’ most expert state, reaching the nation’s highest proficiency scores for Know-how and Knowledge Science. It’s adopted by Colorado and Michigan.

We belief this report will present actionable insights for leaders, encourage collaboration amongst establishments, and contribute to a future the place entry to high-quality studying empowers everybody. The complete report will be accessed at https://www.coursera.org/skills-reports/international/.