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Luxembourg ranks 32nd in IMD digital and AI list
The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in its 11.11.2026 reading of the IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026, places the country 32nd out of 70 economies, behind its three neighbours, and warns that the new method limits year-on-year comparisons.
Key takeaways
- According to the Chamber of Commerce analysis published on 11.11.2026, Luxembourg ranks 32nd out of 70 economies in the IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026, between Latvia (31st) and Bahrain (33rd).
- It trails Germany (18th), France (21st) and Belgium (29th), while the United States, Singapore and the Netherlands occupy the top three places, as confirmed by IMD itself.
- Governance is Luxembourg's strongest factor (14th), led by the regulatory framework in 5th place, while AI adoption in the Chamber's presentation falls from 19th in 2025 to 41st in 2026.
- The Chamber warns that the redesigned ranking, with 88 indicators and five factors instead of three, means comparisons with earlier years should be handled with caution.
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The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, in an analysis published on 11.11.2026, places the Grand Duchy 32nd out of 70 economies in the new IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026, between Latvia in 31st place and Bahrain in 33rd, and behind Germany (18th), France (21st) and Belgium (29th).
What does the 2026 IMD Digital and AI Ranking measure?
The ranking comes from the IMD World Competitiveness Center in Lausanne, successor to the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking. The institute asks how ready countries and companies are to use AI productively, govern it responsibly and earn public trust. Seventy economies are assessed on 88 indicators (51 statistical, 37 from an executive survey), grouped into five factors: Governance, Technology and Infrastructure, Efficiency, Workforce Development, and Values. IMD confirms the method, the 70 economies, the five factors and the top three: the United States, Singapore and the Netherlands. The rank of 32 and the national scores come from the Chamber of Commerce and CC NEWS FLASH 02/2026. A public IMD country profile with that place was not found on the pages checked here. The Chamber PDF was unchanged on the evening of 11.11.2026.
Related reading: Mistral AI and the European software stack and ENISA's cyber-resilience score.
Why does the Chamber warn about comparing with earlier years?
The new ranking uses 88 indicators, 27 more than before, and five factors instead of three. Some sub-factors now mix older measures with newer AI indicators. That change may help explain, the Chamber writes, why Luxembourg, 27th in the 2025 World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, appears 28th in the new 2026 series. It states: "Les comparaisons entre les résultats de 2026 et les classements précédents sont donc à manier avec prudence, à l'exception des indicateurs repris à l'identique dans le nouveau classement." It also writes: "Le Luxembourg, 32e, recule de 4 places par rapport à 2025 et peine à remonter la pente." Its five-year series shows 27th (2022), 28th (2023), 27th (2024), 28th (2025) and 32nd (2026). There is a decline in that series, but the new grid limits what a simple loss of places can prove.
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Where is Luxembourg strong, and where is it weak?
Governance is the strongest factor, in 14th place, led by the regulatory framework in 5th. Technology and infrastructure stand 39th, efficiency 36th, workforce development 37th and values 34th. The Chamber reports a decline on four of the five factors. Only technology and infrastructure stay stable, and then at a weak level. Connectivity is solid: 7th for internet users and 15th for the share of 5G subscriptions. Venture-capital access (45th) and business investment in AI (38th) are weaker. The AI-adoption sub-factor, in the Chamber's presentation, falls from 19th in 2025 to 41st in 2026. In the executive survey, adoption in companies is 47th, while the national AI strategy is 20th. The country remains attractive to highly qualified foreign talent (9th), but ranks 55th for AI education at university and 49th for AI skills. People's trust in AI is only moderate, at 36th, which is not the same as the "Confiance" sub-factor, 16th in the Chamber's table.
What does the IMD ranking mean for readers in Luxembourg?
Luxembourg wants to be a place for AI, has a comparatively well-rated legal framework and sits in a market already shaped by the EU AI Act. That governance lead, the Chamber finds, has not yet become widespread use in companies. The gap between strategy and adoption points to work on capital, education and training. These figures alone do not support a judgement on any one aid scheme or computing centre. Anyone who quotes the 32nd place should also mention the change in method.
Questions and answers
Where does Luxembourg stand in the 2026 IMD Digital and AI Ranking?
Can this rank be compared directly with 2025?
Sources
- [1] Le Luxembourg dans l'IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026 : des points forts qui s'érodent et des points faibles qui persistent accessed 2026-11-11
- [2] CC NEWS FLASH 02/2026, Le Luxembourg dans l'IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026 accessed 2026-11-11
- [3] World Digital and AI Ranking 2026 accessed 2026-11-11
- [4] US and its big tech lead IMD 2026 AI rankings accessed 2026-11-11
- [5] Methodology WDAIR 2026 accessed 2026-11-11
- [6] Le Luxembourg reste loin des leaders du numérique accessed 2026-11-11
- [7] Luxembourg remains far behind the digital frontrunners accessed 2026-11-11
