Leading Central Asia: Kazakhstan surges in IMD’s digital and AI ranking

Kazakhstan scored 75.87 points, placing between Jordan and Slovenia. It ranked third in education and training and fourth in public service delivery.

Kazakhstan made its biggest gain in workforce development, rising from 35th to 22nd. It also climbed from 52nd to 33rd in AI adoption. Kazakhstan ranked 18th for how its cities use AI to improve services. It placed 44th for AI adoption by companies.

The US climbed from fourth to the top line with a score of 100. It led the ranking in technology and infrastructure. American businesses ranked first for their ability to adapt quickly to change. The US placed second in both research infrastructure and AI adoption. It ranked 30th in governance.

Singapore scored 99.79 points. It was the only economy to reach the top five in all five categories. Singapore ranked first in workforce development and trust, and third in AI adoption.

The Netherlands finished third with 97.08 points. Its workforce ranked second only to the US in readiness to use AI. Denmark took fourth place. Canada, last year’s leader, finished fifth.

China climbed seven places to seventh, while South Korea rose eight places to tenth. Together with the US, they led in technology, infrastructure and efficiency. None of the three reached the top 20 in governance.

Sweden led the cybersecurity and AI ethics ranking, with Finland in third place. Overall, Sweden finished sixth, Finland eighth and Switzerland ninth. European countries took five of the top ten spots.

IMD has ranked economies on digital competitiveness since 2017. In 2026, it revised its methodology to assess how governments and businesses use AI. The ranking covers 88 indicators, including 25 new ones.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Kazakhstan introduced AI basics in schools in September 2026.