India 13th in QS Future Skills Index 2027

BENGALURU: India has been ranked 13th globally and the first among lower-middle-income economies in the QS World Future Skills Index 2027, according to a new report that assesses how prepared countries are to tackle evolving demands of the global labour market in an AI-driven future.

The ranking underlined India's growing importance in the global digital economy but also highlighted persistent concerns around talent quality and skill alignment.

India has built formidable scale over the past decade, supported by rapid economic growth, a large pool of graduates and the world's largest IT workforce, according to global higher education expert Quacquarelli Symonds. The country scored 89.4 out of 100, with particularly strong performances in Future of Work readiness, where it ranked fifth globally and Economic Transformation, where it placed 14th.


"The size of India's digital workforce is rapidly attaining a scale that few other countries can match," said Nunzio Quacquarelli, president, QS, in a statement. "It already possesses the world's largest IT workforce, and the largest number of tertiary-educated individuals in the world. These ingredients give India the potential to be the fastest-growing economy in the world over the next decade."

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He said a critical challenge is now in raising the median quality of talent produced by institutions in India besides addressing capacity hurdles.

"India's National Education Policy 2020 is an ambitious attempt to address these challenges, but its implementation must now be scaled evenly across regions," said Quacquarelli. "Transnational education partnerships including branch campuses, and collaborative delivery models, complemented by its rising research strengths, can further support India to close skills gaps faster and expand global talent pipelines."

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India is benefiting from strong fundamentals and significant investments in digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, according to QS. However, the report suggested that the country's next challenge lies in improving the quality and relevance of its locally produced skills.