South Korea advanced eight places to 10th among 70 economies in the 2026 IMD World Digital and AI Ranking, led by strong results in technology infrastructure and efficiency.
IMD’s results put the country third in both efficiency and Technology & Infrastructure. In the previous edition, South Korea placed 13th in efficiency and seventh in Technology & Infrastructure. It ranked first for research and development spending as a share of gross domestic product and eighth for AI adoption. Its other positions included 27th in governance and 20th in workforce development.
IMD ranked the United States first overall, followed by Singapore; its tables ranked Canada fifth, China seventh and Japan 19th. The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) said South Korea ranked fourth among 32 economies with populations above 20 million.
MSIT credited its policy work and South Korea’s resilience with the higher standing. It said it would move quickly on major AI and digital initiatives.
