Generated 10 May 2026

Global Research Report

Global AI
Diffusion
Q1 2026

Trends, momentum, and the democratization question across 147 economies — from flywheel leaders to at-risk laggards.

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147
Economies analyzed
70.1%
Top diffusion (UAE)
19.1%
Global average
+2.8pp
Avg growth H1→Q1

// Key Findings

Leader
UAE
Global #1 — 70.1% Diffusion
United Arab Emirates leads all 147 economies, with +10.7 pp growth since H1 2025 and accelerating momentum.
Fastest Mover
+11.2
South Korea — Largest Total Gain
South Korea added 11.2 percentage points from H1 2025 to Q1 2026, jumping 9 ranks to #16 globally.
H1 2025: 25.9%Q1 2026: 37.1%
Acceleration
+2.0
Jamaica — Sharpest Acceleration
Recent growth improved by +2.0 pp compared to the prior period — the strongest acceleration signal globally.
Distribution
74
Economies Still Below 15%
Of 147 economies, 74 remain in the low-diffusion tier (<15%), signaling persistent structural gaps.

// Report Coverage

01 Country leaderboard — Top 25 by Q1 2026 diffusion with rank changes 📊
02 Growth momentum — Fastest-growing economies and pp gains since H1 2025 📈
03 Acceleration analysis — Countries where growth itself is speeding up ⚡
04 Quadrant classification — Flywheel, mature, catch-up, and at-risk laggard economies 🗺️
05 Regional breakdown — Median adoption, momentum, and internal inequality by region 🌍
06 Convergence vs. divergence — Is the world catching up or splitting apart? 🔍

// Get the Full Report

AI Diffusion Q1 2026 — Full Report

Complete analysis with charts, scatter plots, regional boxplots, and threshold crossing data across all 147 economies.

PDF May 2026 147 economies
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