Canada Ranks Fifth Among 56 Commonwealth Countries for Youth AI Readiness, Study Finds

Canada has landed fifth among 56 Commonwealth countries in a new global ranking of youth AI readiness, praised for its connectivity and digital skills but marked down for how its education system prepares young people to use artificial intelligence in practice. The inaugural Ayre Index, released on November 5, 2026, puts Canada behind only Singapore, Malta, Australia, and the United Kingdom, with an overall score of 70.2 out of 100.

The findings arrive at a moment when Canadian governments and employers are asking the same question: the country has world-class AI research and strong internet infrastructure, so why do so few young Canadians actually use AI tools at school or at work?

What the Ayre Index measured

The Ayre Index is a new study from the Ayre Think Tank, and this is its first edition. It ranks all 56 Commonwealth countries on how ready their young people are for an economy shaped by AI, looking at access to technology, digital and AI skills, and how well education and training systems turn those skills into real use.

Canada scored 9.4 out of 10 for both meaningful access and for digital, data, media, and AI capability. Those are the two areas where the country looks strongest: young Canadians can get online, and they have the basic digital skills to make use of what they find there. The weak spot is education and training delivery, where Canada scored just 5.3 out of 10.

The results were released during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Antigua and Barbuda, an event attended by King Charles III and Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The money at stake

The think tank did more than rank countries. Its researchers applied International Monetary Fund scenarios to Canada's economy and calculated what AI could add to national output over the next decade. Under a moderate scenario, the potential gain is C$100.85 billion in GDP over ten years. A conservative estimate puts the figure at C$51.19 billion, while the optimistic case reaches C$150.44 billion.

Those numbers are projections, not promises, and they depend on the same weak link the index identifies. If young Canadians do not learn to use AI tools well, and if employers do not give them chances to apply those skills, the economic upside shrinks.

The classroom gap

The most striking numbers in the Canadian results come from the classroom. According to the think tank's analysis of OECD PISA 2025 data, only 37.7 per cent of Canadian 15-year-olds said they used AI chatbots for schoolwork at least weekly. The OECD average is about 46 per cent, which means Canadian students are using these tools less often than their peers in other developed countries, even though their access to devices and the internet is among the best in the world.

That finding is hard to square with the usual picture of Canadian teenagers, who are often described as constantly online. The index suggests the issue is not whether young people can reach AI tools, but whether schools are teaching them to use those tools for real work.

The workplace gap

The picture at work looks similar. Research from Statistics Canada cited in the report found that just 10 per cent of employed Canadians aged 15 to 24 used generative AI at work over a 12-month period. That is a low figure for a generation that grew up with smartphones, and it suggests that young workers are not being given the tools, the training, or the permission to use AI as part of their jobs.

Part of the explanation may sit with employers. Earlier Canadian surveys have found that only a small share of businesses use AI at all. If a young worker's employer has no AI tools and no policy for using them, there is little chance for that worker to build practical experience. Weak training in school and slow adoption at work feed each other, and both drag down the country's readiness score.

Where Canada stands against the leaders

The four countries ahead of Canada offer a useful comparison. Singapore, Malta, Australia, and the United Kingdom all scored higher overall, and the index suggests they did so by pairing strong access with stronger education and training systems. Canada matches or beats them on connectivity and digital capability, but it falls behind where the index measures what happens after a young person gets online.

That pattern is consistent with Canada's broader AI story. The country is home to respected AI research institutes and produces talented graduates, yet business adoption of AI has lagged. Only about 12 per cent of Canadian businesses reported using AI to produce goods or deliver services in 2025, according to figures cited in recent coverage of the sector. The Ayre Index adds a youth dimension to that same story: the talent pipeline is strong at the top, but everyday use of AI by young people is thinner than the country's infrastructure would suggest.

What happens next

For Canada, the most practical next steps are the ones the scorecard points to: more practical AI teaching in schools, clearer routes from training into jobs that use AI, and more support for employers willing to train young staff on the tools. None of those steps needs new technology. They need coordination between schools, employers, and governments.

If Canada's education and training score rises, the country's overall ranking should rise with it. If the score stays flat, the fifth-place finish will start to look less like a strong result and more like a warning.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Ayre Index?

The Ayre Index is a new global ranking from the Ayre Think Tank that measures how ready young people in each of the 56 Commonwealth countries are for an economy shaped by AI. It looks at access to technology, digital and AI skills, and how well education and training turn those skills into real use.

Why did Canada rank fifth?

Canada scored 70.2 out of 100, with very strong marks of 9.4 out of 10 for access and digital capability, but a much weaker 5.3 out of 10 for education and training delivery. The four countries ahead of it scored higher overall by pairing strong access with stronger training systems.

How much could AI add to Canada's economy?

The think tank's researchers applied International Monetary Fund scenarios to Canada's economy and estimated a potential AI-related GDP gain of C$100.85 billion over ten years under a moderate scenario. The conservative estimate is C$51.19 billion, and the optimistic case is C$150.44 billion.