Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly changing jobs worldwide. This technological shift is also prompting millions to embrace AI, which is evident in the recent uptick in takers of online AI courses. It seems professionals from India too are not far behind. The newly released Coursera Global Skills Report 2025 reveals that India has recorded a 107 per cent year-on-year increase in enrolments for generative AI courses with 2.6 million, which is so far the highest in the world.
Even though more Indian professionals are enrolling, India ranks 89th globally and 19th in the Asia Pacific region for overall skills proficiency. The seventh edition of Coursera’s Global Skills Report assesses countries based on the performance of learners in areas such as business, technology, and data science. The report shows that Indian learners have 18 per cent proficiency in business, 22 per cent in technology, and 20 per cent in data science. This indicates a widening skills gap in crucial sectors.
On Coursera’s AI Maturity Index that evaluates a country’s readiness for AI innovation and talent development, India ranks 46th. This is in line with the recent estimates that suggest India may need about one million professionals skilled in AI by 2026.
“India’s digital and AI ambition is clearly reflected in both national policies and learner behaviour. From national AI missions to skills-based hiring reforms and interdisciplinary education models, we’re seeing the foundations of a future-ready workforce take shape,” said Coursera’s Director for Campus and Government in India, Prashasti Rastogi.
When it comes to other key findings, professional certificate enrolments rose 23 per cent year-on-year, reaching 3.3 million. Notably, only 26 per cent of these came from women learners. In gen AI courses, only 30 per cent were women learners compared to the overall 40 per cent enrolments, indicating a gender gap in participation in emerging tech.
Another notable finding is that as many as 52 per cent of Indian Coursera users access the platform through their mobile devices. This highlights India’s deepening smartphone penetration and preference among learners for flexible modes of learning. Moreover, Indian learners are increasingly opting for full-stack development, DevOps, and containerisation skills, according to the platform.
India has 31 million learners with a median learner age of 31, more than Europe’s total enrolments, making it a key driver of the global digital workforce. India is expected to contribute about 24 per cent of the global workforce over the next decade; however, a vast number of Indian workers continue to be underqualified. The report throws light on the need to focus on outcome-based skilling, public-private collaboration, and women’s participation in tech fields.
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The Global Skills Report 2025 was based on Coursera’s 170 million learners between March 2024 and February 2025, identifying key skills across over 100 countries. Coursera was launched in 2012 by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller, with a mission to provide universal access to world-class learning. It is now one of the largest online learning platforms in the world, with over 183 million registered learners as of June 30, 2025.