153.7
#1
UAE AI engineering skills diffusion index on LinkedIn in 2025, the highest of 47 countries; United States 31.9

What the chart shows

For AI engineering skills, those used to build and deploy AI systems, the United Arab Emirates had the highest diffusion index in 2025 at 153.7, followed by Chile (99.8), South Africa (97.7) and Argentina (96.7). The AI Index singles out the UAE, Chile and South Africa for fast growth in these skills.

Engineering skills have grown more slowly than literacy skills in the largest markets: the US index was 31.9 and India’s 52.9, against literacy indexes of 458.1 and 382.0.

Key numbers

MeasureValue
United Arab Emirates153.7
Chile99.8
South Africa97.7
Argentina96.7
India52.9
United States31.9

How to read it

  • The index measures growth in AI skills on LinkedIn profiles relative to a country’s own starting point, so it compares the speed of adoption, not how many people have AI skills.
  • The engineering series starts in 2016 for most countries; the literacy series, in the companion chart, starts in 2023 or 2024.
  • In the US, the fastest-growing AI engineering skills in 2025 were AI agents, AI productivity and AI strategy, according to the AI Index.
Source: LinkedIn, 2025, via the AI Index Report 2026 (Stanford HAI), figure 7.4.3: AI Skills Diffusion Index by geographic area, 2016–25. Chart and text by AI Adoption.
Numbers checked against the published data on 20 October 2026.
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