Switzerland falls to 9th in new IMD AI ranking as adoption lags

A new ranking, a lower position

Switzerland placed 9th of 70 countries in the IMD World Digital and AI Ranking 2026, according to a digitalswitzerland statement published on 11 November 2026. The IMD World Competitiveness Center reworked its methodology for this edition and measured for the first time how well countries put artificial intelligence into practice.

The United States, Singapore, the Netherlands, Denmark, Canada, Sweden, China and Finland placed ahead of Switzerland. In the earlier World Digital Competitiveness Ranking the country stood 3rd, but the two rankings cannot be compared directly because the method changed.

Strong rules, weak execution

The top-10 finish rests on older strengths. Switzerland ranks 1st on the regulatory framework and 3rd on talent. The IMD notes that a good general business environment does not automatically produce good rules for AI: on AI governance the country ranks 31st, a category led by Finland, with the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden behind it.

The public sector scores lower still. Switzerland ranks 30th on public leadership, meaning the state's digital role, and 45th on core administrative systems.

Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center, said Switzerland has to move faster: «Die Schweiz muss schneller werden. Vor allem bei den Rahmenbedingungen für digitale Technologien muss sie Wege finden, Entscheidungen zu beschleunigen».

What the industry group wants

digitalswitzerland, an association of more than 130 companies, drew five fields of action from the result. It called for more computing capacity, AI-ready data and a state that takes the lead. It also criticised parliament, saying its demands focused on risks in a «typisch schweizerisch» way.

The group argues that data, data centres, energy supply and digital identity are the infrastructure every digital innovation depends on, whether AI or Web3. It says jobs are already being cut in Switzerland and that money is being invested in AI abroad.

Its president said existing rules and structures should be questioned where they hold back competitiveness: «Es geht nicht um einen Platz im Ranking, sondern um unseren Wohlstand.» The association published its proposals in a Swiss AI Action Plan.