Microsoft AI Economy Institute · AI User Share of the Working-Age Population
AI users by country
What share of working-age people use generative AI?
Of the 146 countries compared in 2026, United Arab Emirates had the highest reading, 73.3%, and Cambodia had the lowest reading, 6.1%. In the middle country the figure was 15.5%.
Part ofDigital & Technology
AI users · 2026
Context statistic
Highest of 146United Arab Emirates
73.3%012026 · values only
Who leads
The three countries at the highest end of 146 compared, the three at the other end, and the first on each continent.
1Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
3Photo: derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Lowest in 2026
Cambodia6.1%
Turkmenistan6.3%
Tajikistan6.3%
Where a country sits says how it compares with the others measured, and nothing about why.
Highest on each continent
- Africa
South Africa23.9% - Americas
Canada38.5% - AsiaUnited Arab Emirates73.3%
- Europe
Ireland49.9% - Oceania
New Zealand44.1%3 of 21 measured
- Every region
02Every measured country
AI users on a map
Each country is shaded by its value, in five groups holding the same number of countries. Hover a country for its value, or select it to open its profile. Below the map, each continent’s middle country.
Darker is a higher value — the better end.
- 6.1–9.5%
- 9.9–12.6%
- 12.8–20.1%
- 20.2–30.6%
- 30.7–73.3%
- No reading in 2026
- Europe
31.0%
the middle country, of 32 measured · 49 members
Ireland49.9%
Ukraine9.5%Highest and lowest reading in Europe.
- Americas
20.2%
the middle country, of 25 measured · 48 members
Canada38.5%
Cuba6.8%Highest and lowest reading in Americas.
- Asia
17.7%
the middle country, of 40 measured · 52 members
United Arab Emirates73.3%Cambodia6.1%Highest and lowest reading in Asia.
- Africa
10.4%
the middle country, of 46 measured · 55 members
South Africa23.9%
Rwanda7.6%Highest and lowest reading in Africa.
- Oceania
3 of 21 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea.
New Zealand44.1%
Papua New Guinea7.6%Highest and lowest reading in Oceania.
- Every region
20 sub-regions, highest middle country first
- Western Europe
39.7%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 9 members
France49.6%
Germany32.3%Highest and lowest reading in Western Europe.
- Northern Europe
37.3%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 13 members
Ireland49.9%
Lithuania25.1%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Europe.
- Southern Europe
27.2%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 17 members
Spain45.1%
Albania19.2%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Europe.
- Western Asia
25.1%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 19 members
United Arab Emirates73.3%
Syria7.4%Highest and lowest reading in Western Asia.
- Eastern Asia
24.7%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 8 members
South Korea40.6%
China17.5%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Asia.
- Eastern Europe
23.1%
the middle country, of 10 measured · 10 members
Hungary33.3%Ukraine9.5%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Europe.
- Central America
20.1%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 8 members
Costa Rica29.7%
Nicaragua12.5%Highest and lowest reading in Central America.
- South America
18.8%
the middle country, of 12 measured · 12 members
Colombia25.9%3 share 11.3%
Highest and lowest reading in South America.
- South-eastern Asia
14.8%
the middle country, of 9 measured · 11 members
Singapore64.3%Cambodia6.1%Highest and lowest reading in South-eastern Asia.
- Northern Africa
13.9%
the middle country, of 6 measured · 6 members
2 share 15.5%
Sudan8.0%Highest and lowest reading in Northern Africa.
- Southern Asia
11.9%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
India18.5%
Afghanistan6.3%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Asia.
- Western Africa
10.4%
the middle country, of 15 measured · 16 members
Senegal14.4%12 share 10.4%
Highest and lowest reading in Western Africa.
- Middle Africa
9.1%
the middle country, of 7 measured · 9 members
Gabon15.7%5 share 9.1%
Highest and lowest reading in Middle Africa.
- Eastern Africa
8.0%
the middle country, of 14 measured · 19 members
Zambia13.3%Rwanda7.6%Highest and lowest reading in Eastern Africa.
- Central Asia
7.6%
the middle country, of 5 measured · 5 members
Kazakhstan16.9%2 share 6.3%
Highest and lowest reading in Central Asia.
- Australia and New Zealand
2 of 2 measured — too few for a middle: Australia, New Zealand.
New Zealand44.1%
Australia40.7%Highest and lowest reading in Australia and New Zealand.
- Caribbean
4 of 24 measured — too few for a middle: Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica.
Dominican Republic25.8%Cuba6.8%Highest and lowest reading in Caribbean.
- Melanesia
1 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea7.6%Highest and lowest reading in Melanesia.
- Northern America
2 of 4 measured — too few for a middle: Canada, United States.
Canada38.5%
United States33.0%Highest and lowest reading in Northern America.
- Southern Africa
4 of 5 measured — too few for a middle: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa.
South Africa23.9%
Lesotho9.9%Highest and lowest reading in Southern Africa.
03The whole field at once
The spread
146 countries, one dot each, on one scale — further right is a higher value. Half the countries are above 15.5%; a quarter are above 27.2%, and a quarter below 10.4%. The bar in each row marks that continent’s middle country.
04All 146 ever measured
Every country
In order, highest value first. No rank or position is shown: too many countries share the same value for an order to mean anything. This is a model, not a survey: Microsoft starts from its own anonymised device data and adjusts it for device market share, internet access and population, so it is least certain where its devices are rare. Where it had too little data, Microsoft pooled neighbouring countries and gave each the pool's figure, so some countries carry a regional estimate rather than one of their own — the estimate basis column says which, and it is why several West, Central and East African countries share exactly one value.
Showing 25 of 146 countries
Values for 2026. The change column compares 2026 with 2025 only; the sparkline covers the recent editions.
052025 → 2026
Who rose and fell
The biggest changes in value between the two newest editions. Places are shown second, because they also move when other countries do.
Improved most
before → after- South Korea30.7% → 40.6%+9.9
- United Arab Emirates64.0% → 73.3%+9.3
- France44.0% → 49.6%+5.6
Japan19.1% → 24.7%+5.6
Taiwan28.4% → 33.8%+5.4
Declined most
before → afterNo country moved this way.
146 countries were measured in both 2025 and 2026.
06Across every edition
AI users in records
The extremes of the statistic. A record reached by more than one country names none of them.
Highest reading on record
73.3%
Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64)
Lowest reading on record
5.1%
Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64)
Biggest improvement between editions
+9.9
30.7% → 40.6%
Most improved since first measured
+9.9
30.7% → 40.6%
At the top most often
2 of 2
editions, alone at the first-listed end
07The measure
About AI users
The share of people aged 15 to 64 who used a generative-AI tool — any company's chatbot or assistant — during a given period, as estimated by Microsoft's AI Economy Institute. It is one of the few measures of AI adoption that covers most of the world with a single method.
What the number is: Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64).
What it does not measure
It counts people who used a generative-AI tool at all during the period, not how often, how well or for what. It is modelled from one company's device data, so it is least certain where that company's devices are rare, and some countries carry a figure shared with their neighbours rather than one of their own.
08Where it fits
Connections
Its part in the Country Index, the statistics whose values line up most closely with it across countries, and others on the same subject.
In the Country Index
Context, with no vote
This statistic is published in full under Digital & Technology, but does not help decide any Country Index standing.
Moves with
Where AI users is higher, these tend to be higher too.
- Anthropic AI Usage IndexAnthropic · 109 countries in commonρ 0.86
- Productive Capacities IndexUNCTAD · 145 countries in commonρ 0.84
- Actual Individual Consumption per Capita (PPP)World Bank Group · 136 countries in commonρ 0.84
Moves against
Where AI users is higher, these tend to be lower.
- Employment in AgricultureILO · 141 countries in commonρ −0.79
- Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 126 countries in commonρ −0.79
- Gender Inequality IndexUNDP Human Development Report Office · 140 countries in commonρ −0.77
Rank correlation (ρ, from −1 to 1) across countries, on each statistic’s newest edition, out of 297 statistics sharing at least 80 countries with this one. Two statistics that move together do not cause each other.
09Keep reading
Explore further
The subject
The data, edition by edition
The countries at either end
10Questions
AI users: questions and answers
Which country has the highest AI users?
United Arab Emirates, at 73.3%, among the 146 countries compared in 2026.
Which country has the lowest AI users?
Cambodia, at 6.1%, among the 146 countries compared in 2026.
How many countries does the AI User Share of the Working-Age Population cover?
146 in 2026.
What is the world average AI users?
This site does not calculate a world average, which would depend on how countries are weighted. In the middle country of the 146 compared in 2026, the figure was 15.5%.
Is this Microsoft AI Economy Institute’s own ranking?
No ranking is shown. Microsoft AI Economy Institute publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything, so none is derived.
How often is the AI User Share of the Working-Age Population published?
This site holds 2 editions, describing 2025 to 2026.
Where does the data come from, and can I download it?
From Microsoft AI Economy Institute, under MIT License. From the country file in Microsoft's own AI Diffusion repository on GitHub, each figure stored as Microsoft published it, to one decimal. French Guiana, which Microsoft lists, is not a country row on this site. Every edition is on this site’s Datasets pages as a full table, and downloads as a CSV file with every value unrounded.
11Method
Sources, method and citation
Source
AI User Share of the Working-Age Population — Microsoft AI Economy Institute
From the country file in Microsoft's own AI Diffusion repository on GitHub, each figure stored as Microsoft published it, to one decimal. French Guiana, which Microsoft lists, is not a country row on this site.
Newest edition
Report year 2026Data year 2026
Cite the source as: Microsoft AI Economy Institute. AI Diffusion Report, country data (Q2 2026 update). Method: Misra, A., Wang, J., McCullers, S., White, K., & Lavista Ferres, J. (2025). Measuring AI Diffusion: A Population-Normalized Metric for Tracking Global AI Usage. arXiv:2511.02781.
Licence: MIT License, checked 2026-09-29.
How this page reads the numbers
- No rank or position is shown: Microsoft AI Economy Institute publishes values only, and too many countries share the same value for an ordering to mean anything.
- Which end is better follows the publisher’s own reading of the measure.
- A country is named at an end only when it holds that value alone. Where several share it, the page says how many and names none first.
- Values are stored exactly as published and trimmed only for display. “The middle country” is the median of the countries measured, not a world average.
The file itself, column by column — where it came from, what each column holds, and every edition as a CSV — is on its dataset page.
Photographs
The countries at the top of this statistic, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- United Arab Emirates — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
- Ireland — derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). AI users by country: AI User Share of the Working-Age Population, data from Microsoft AI Economy Institute. https://nationsinquiry.com/statistics/ai-user-share