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By Greg Hart, Chief Executive Officer, Coursera

I am delighted to present the 2025 version of Coursera’s Learner Outcomes Report, developed in partnership with The Harris Poll. As an international educational platform, Coursera strives to support learners worldwide in acquiring the essential skills to advance their careers. In the face of technological upheaval, economic instability, and demographic transformations reshaping the global workforce, fulfilling this obligation is more imperative than ever—and more achievable.

The Learner Outcomes Report provides us with a significant opportunity to evaluate our advancements in fulfilling this vision. We gathered insights from over 52,000 learners across 179 nations to comprehend how Coursera is enabling learners to reach their professional and personal aspirations. This year’s findings revealed that:

• Acquiring skills for professional growth is the foremost motivation for learning on Coursera—86% of learners access the platform to develop new skills and elevate their careers:
  • Their motivations encompassed: securing their inaugural job, changing careers, progressing in their existing roles, or launching their own enterprise.
  • Nearly all learners (99%) enrolled in their program on Coursera with diverse career objectives in mind.
  • Close to three-quarters of learners (73%) identified acquiring vital skills for professional advancement as their main motivation for studying on Coursera.
• Coursera persistently fosters significant—and quantifiable—career outcomes for these learners, encompassing salary increments, skill enhancements, elevated job positions, and personal advantages:
  • 91% of learners realized a favorable career outcome following the completion of a course on Coursera.
  • Almost half of the learners (46%) noted salary increases after joining a Coursera course or program.
  • For those who completed an industry micro-credential, the results were even more pronounced: 51% of learners who finished an Entry-Level Professional Certificate experienced a salary boost.
  • 84% of learners enhanced or acquired essential technical abilities pertinent to their respective fields.
  • 89% of learners improved their soft skill competencies, particularly in critical thinking and problem-solving—both crucial in navigating the AI economy.

• These career outcomes were observed among learners globally and tended to be more pronounced in both developing economies and among female learners. We discovered that:
  • Learners in emerging economies were more inclined to report positive career outcomes compared to those in developed economies (94% vs. 84%).
  • Learners in emerging economies were 74% more likely than those in advanced economies to report advancement to a higher job level post-course (33% vs. 19%).
  • Notable examples include:
    • India: 95% of learners achieved a positive career outcome after utilizing Coursera, with 55% reporting a salary increase, both figures surpassing global averages (91% and 46% respectively).
    • Egypt: 95% of learners reported a favorable career outcome, with 56% noting a salary increase.
    • Colombia: 50% of learners noted a salary raise, while 39% reported securing a higher job position—exceeding the global average of 27%.
  • Among women, nearly half (48%) reported a salary increment after completing a course—slightly above men (45%).

• Learners who engaged with GenAI content on Coursera experienced concrete career advantages:
  • 94% of full-time professionals who completed a GenAI course reported positive effects on their work.
  • 91% of learners who finished a GenAI course achieved favorable career outcomes.
  • More than 4 out of 10 learners (42%) who completed a GenAI course noted a salary increase following their program.

Additionally, we observe that Coursera Coach, our AI-driven personalized learning assistant, is yielding promising results: 94% of learners utilizing Coach indicated that it enhanced their learning experience, with advantages including:

• Simplified understanding of complex topics.
• More interactive and engaging educational experiences.
• Improved retention of course materials.

This report offers reassuring evidence that by merging platform innovations with reliable content from our partners, we can prepare millions of learners worldwide with the essential skills necessary for career progression and professional achievement, especially those who require access to these resources. We shall continue to collaborate diligently with our university and industry educators, as well as businesses, campuses, and governments, to cultivate a more skilled, innovative, job-ready workforce.

You can download the complete 2025 Learner Outcomes Report here.

The post Introducing Coursera’s 2025 Learner Outcomes Report: global findings show measurable career impact for online learners appeared first on Coursera Blog.

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