17.8% of the world used AI in Q1 2026

Microsoft says global AI use rose to 17.8% in Q1 2026.

Microsoft published its latest Global AI Diffusion Report on May 7, 2026, saying AI adoption rose by 1.5 percentage points in the first quarter, from 16.3% to 17.8% of the world’s working-age population. The company also said 26 economies now exceed 30% AI use, while the Microsoft leaderboard still places the UAE first at 70.1%.

What changed

The report says AI adoption kept rising across regions, with the sharpest movement in Asia. South Korea, Thailand, and Japan posted the biggest gains, which Microsoft links in part to better AI support for Asian languages.

Microsoft said the gap between the Global North and South widened again. Adoption reached 27.5% in the North versus 15.4% in the South, underscoring how access, language coverage, and local product fit still shape usage.

• 26 economies now top 30% AI use among working-age adults.
• The UAE remains No. 1 at 70.1%.
• The U.S. moved from 24th to 21st place, with 31.3% usage.
• Microsoft measures diffusion using anonymized telemetry adjusted for OS mix, device share, internet penetration, and population.

Why it matters

For developers, the report points to a clear signal: better coding tools are translating into more software output. Microsoft says Git pushes rose 78% year over year, citing Anthropic’s Claude Code, OpenAI’s Codex, and GitHub Copilot as part of the broader surge.

The labor-market read is less settled, but Microsoft says the U.S. had about 2.2 million software developers in 2025, up 8.5% year over year, and March 2026 employment was about 4% above March 2025. That suggests AI-assisted coding is lowering build costs without yet shrinking demand for engineers.

The bigger market question is not whether AI use is rising, but which countries and sectors can convert usage into productivity gains fastest.

Microsoft’s data says AI adoption is spreading, but language support and local infrastructure still decide who gets there first.