Korea jumped eight places to rank 10th out of 70 nations in the 2026 World Digital and AI Competitiveness Ranking (WDAIR), published Wednesday by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) — the prestigious Swiss business school known for its benchmark global competitiveness evaluations. Among nations with populations exceeding 20 million, Korea secured 4th place, trailing only the United States, Canada, and China. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that Korea achieved comprehensive improvements across all five evaluated categories: Governance, Technological Infrastructure, Efficiency, Human Resources Development, and Societal Attitudes & Values. Notably, Korea vaulted ten places to rank 3rd globally in Efficiency and climbed four spots to 3rd in Technological Infrastructure. Korea demonstrated unmatched leadership in government execution and technological foundation, claiming the top spot worldwide in both the Government Core Systems Index and total R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP. The nation also maintained an impressive 3rd place in R&D infrastructur