What does AI cite most for education questions in each country?
The same measure in every country: the share of AI answers to education questions that cite each source at least once, all platforms together (Google AI Overviews, AI Mode, ChatGPT, Perplexity, Copilot, Gemini). YouTube is the most-cited source in all 13. Open a country for its platforms, its own education sites and what people there ask.
Share of AI answers that cite YouTube, by country
The United States on this page
The United States is measured here the same way as the other 12 countries: every education answer, with no site filter, dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026. The US study page is a separate, deeper pull (1,184,146 answers dated 25 June 2026 to 1 October 2026 that cite or mention one of 33 education sites, classified by topic), so the two pages give different figures for the United States: YouTube is cited in 30.9% of answers there and 32.4% here.
After YouTube: the next two most-cited sources and the top named education site
| Country | Second | Third | Top named education site |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States |  Reddit15.9% |  Wikipedia12.8% |  study.com1.4% |
| India |  shiksha.com11.0% |  Facebook10.4% | shiksha.com11.0% |
| Japan |  Yahoo! Chiebukuro12.8% |  minkou.jp10.8% | minkou.jp10.8% |
| United Kingdom |  Google12.5% | Wikipedia11.2% |  ucas.com2.9% |
| Indonesia |  Instagram23.3% |  Scribd19.1% |  ruangguru.com7.0% |
| Brazil | Instagram25.1% |  querobolsa.com.br9.8% | querobolsa.com.br9.8% |
| Mexico | Facebook30.9% |  TikTok11.5% |  mextudia.com3.5% |
| Canada | Reddit16.5% | Wikipedia14.8% | idp.com2.1% |
| Australia | Google12.9% | Facebook11.1% |  bettereducation.com.au2.1% |
| France | Wikipedia11.2% | Facebook10.4% |  letudiant.fr7.9% |
| Germany | Wikipedia13.8% | Google5.8% |  studyflix.de5.4% |
| Philippines | Facebook29.5% | Scribd20.9% | study.com7.0% |
| Spain | Facebook11.2% | Wikipedia10.9% |  micole.net4.1% |
What kind of source does AI cite in each country?
Each cell is the share of a country's AI answers that cite that kind of source at least once, so a row adds up to more than 100%. Darker means a larger share. Social and creator sites are cited most in Mexico (43.2%), the Philippines (36.5%), Brazil (34.6%), and least in Germany (8.9%) and the United Kingdom (12.3%). Government sources lead in France (37.3%), Australia (31.7%), the United Kingdom (28.2%). Forums and Q&A sites are cited most in the United States (18.3%), Canada (18.0%), the Philippines (14.5%), and least in France (2.2%) and Spain (2.7%). Document-sharing sites lead in the Philippines (25.1%), Indonesia (20.1%), Mexico (11.2%).
| Country | Video | Education sites | Schools, universities | Government | Social | Forums, Q&A | Reference | Document sharing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 33.1% | 12.4% | 38.0% | 13.6% | 19.7% | 18.3% | 13.8% | 1.0% |
| India | 25.7% | 41.9% | 25.6% | 14.1% | 19.7% | 11.3% | 10.3% | 8.4% |
| Japan | 16.5% | 42.7% | 18.8% | 11.6% | 13.9% | 13.1% | 8.8% | 0.0% |
| United Kingdom | 25.5% | 26.7% | 27.9% | 28.2% | 12.3% | 9.0% | 12.2% | 0.8% |
| Indonesia | 37.8% | 18.5% | 43.4% | 22.2% | 32.3% | 5.3% | 10.8% | 20.1% |
| Brazil | 45.6% | 25.3% | 16.0% | 19.6% | 34.6% | 3.9% | 16.8% | 4.6% |
| Mexico | 47.4% | 18.4% | 32.5% | 24.9% | 43.2% | 3.1% | 15.8% | 11.2% |
| Canada | 33.1% | 24.1% | 28.3% | 18.3% | 18.0% | 18.0% | 16.3% | 1.2% |
| Australia | 25.2% | 20.9% | 45.4% | 31.7% | 16.5% | 9.8% | 11.4% | 1.4% |
| France | 32.8% | 27.1% | 8.8% | 37.3% | 15.8% | 2.2% | 12.2% | 1.0% |
| Germany | 32.1% | 29.2% | 9.6% | 19.1% | 8.9% | 4.9% | 15.6% | 0.5% |
| Philippines | 40.2% | 31.0% | 27.8% | 16.5% | 36.5% | 14.5% | 16.9% | 25.1% |
| Spain | 34.9% | 27.4% | 16.9% | 26.8% | 22.1% | 2.7% | 12.8% | 2.8% |
How do the AI platforms differ from country to country?
The platforms cite different things everywhere. Google AI Overviews cite a video in 25.2% (Japan) to 61.2% (Brazil) of their answers; ChatGPT cites one in at most 0.4% in any country. ChatGPT's most-cited source is a government or public-agency site in 11 of the 13 countries.
Share of answers that cite a video, on three platforms
- Google AI Overviews
- Google AI Mode
- ChatGPT
The same numbers as a table, all six platforms
| Country | AI Overviews | AI Mode | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Copilot | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil | 61.2% | 17.9% | 0.1% | 2.1% | 0.3% | 1.8% |
| Mexico | 59.9% | 17.4% | 0.1% | 2.4% | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| Philippines | 50.6% | 11.4% | 0.4% | 1.3% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Spain | 49.9% | 7.6% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Indonesia | 49.1% | 14.2% | 0.1% | 1.9% | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Germany | 47.5% | 9.5% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| France | 45.7% | 7.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.5% |
| United States | 44.7% | 8.5% | 0.2% | 0.5% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Canada | 43.9% | 5.8% | 0.1% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| United Kingdom | 41.0% | 5.4% | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.4% | 0.5% |
| Australia | 38.0% | 3.4% | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 0.4% |
| India | 35.4% | 9.0% | 0.2% | 2.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% |
| Japan | 25.2% | 4.1% | 0.1% | 0.4% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
The most-cited source on each platform
| Country | AI Overviews | AI Mode | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Copilot | Gemini |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States |  YouTube43.8% | Google19.2% |  ed.gov2.6% | Wikipedia4.5% |  scienceinsights.org2.3% | Reddit1.8% |
| India | YouTube35.3% | Google18.2% |  careers360.com5.9% | collegedunia.com9.7% | collegedunia.com8.7% | shiksha.com3.0% |
| Japan | YouTube24.8% | Google17.8% | mhlw.go.jp5.8% |  note.com4.4% | note.com2.8% | note.com3.7% |
| United Kingdom | YouTube39.9% | Google27.2% |  gov.uk11.9% |  service.gov.uk6.1% |  amazon.co.uk2.4% | Reddit1.6% |
| Indonesia | YouTube44.3% | Instagram14.8% |  kemendikdasmen.go.id17.6% |  detik.com9.1% | detik.com10.5% | Scribd3.3% |
| Brazil | YouTube58.7% | YouTube16.9% |  gov.br12.7% | gov.br8.5% | querobolsa.com.br7.3% | querobolsa.com.br4.9% |
| Mexico | YouTube53.6% | Facebook18.5% |  sep.gob.mx9.9% | Wikipedia5.4% | Wikipedia5.4% | mextudia.com2.4% |
| Canada | YouTube43.1% | Google18.1% |  canada.ca4.4% | Wikipedia2.8% | Wikipedia3.5% | Reddit2.3% |
| Australia | YouTube37.1% | Google28.6% |  nsw.gov.au10.9% |  vic.gov.au5.5% | nsw.gov.au2.8% | Reddit1.8% |
| France | YouTube43.3% |  education.gouv.fr9.4% | education.gouv.fr12.0% |  service-public.gouv.fr6.8% |  amazon.fr4.7% | Wikipedia1.7% |
| Germany | YouTube46.3% | Google12.1% |  arbeitsagentur.de5.5% | Wikipedia5.1% | Wikipedia5.9% | Wikipedia1.6% |
| Philippines | YouTube47.4% | Facebook20.1% |  dictionary.cambridge.org5.7% | Wikipedia4.6% |  lazada.com.ph6.7% | Scribd4.6% |
| Spain | YouTube46.3% | Google21.0% |  boe.es7.6% | Wikipedia5.2% | Wikipedia7.0% | Wikipedia1.7% |
Where do AI answers lean on local education sites?
Ranked by the share of answers citing an education site (course and tutoring platforms, test-prep and cram schools, school and university guides). Japan leads at 42.7%; the United States is lowest at 12.4%. The 33 international education brands of the US study are rarely among them: none is among the 60 most-cited sources in Japan, Indonesia, France and Spain.
| Country | Education sites | Top named education site | Best of the 33 international brands |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 42.7% | minkou.jp10.8% | none in the top 60 |
| India | 41.9% | shiksha.com11.0% | Brand 52.7% |
| Philippines | 31.0% | study.com7.0% | Brand 33.0% |
| Germany | 29.2% | studyflix.de5.4% | Brand 50.8% |
| Spain | 27.4% | micole.net4.1% | none in the top 60 |
| France | 27.1% | letudiant.fr7.9% | none in the top 60 |
| United Kingdom | 26.7% | ucas.com2.9% | Brand 52.0% |
| Brazil | 25.3% | querobolsa.com.br9.8% | Brand 60.9% |
| Canada | 24.1% | idp.com2.1% | Brand 54.1% |
| Australia | 20.9% | bettereducation.com.au2.1% | Brand 51.9% |
| Indonesia | 18.5% | ruangguru.com7.0% | none in the top 60 |
| Mexico | 18.4% | mextudia.com3.5% | Brand 61.1% |
| United States | 12.4% | study.com1.4% | Brand 52.5% |
Where does AI cite government and public sources?
Ministries, regions, exam boards and public agencies. France leads at 37.3% of answers, then Australia (31.7%) and the United Kingdom (28.2%).
| Country | Government | Schools and universities | Most-cited government source | ChatGPT's top source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 37.3% | 8.8% | service-public.gouv.fr9.3% | education.gouv.fr12.0% |
| Australia | 31.7% | 45.4% | nsw.gov.au9.7% | nsw.gov.au10.9% |
| United Kingdom | 28.2% | 27.9% | service.gov.uk7.5% | gov.uk11.9% |
| Spain | 26.8% | 16.9% | juntadeandalucia.es3.4% | boe.es7.6% |
| Mexico | 24.9% | 32.5% | sep.gob.mx8.7% | sep.gob.mx9.9% |
| Indonesia | 22.2% | 43.4% | kemendikdasmen.go.id10.0% | kemendikdasmen.go.id17.6% |
| Brazil | 19.6% | 16.0% | gov.br5.8% | gov.br12.7% |
| Germany | 19.1% | 9.6% | arbeitsagentur.de4.6% | arbeitsagentur.de5.5% |
| Canada | 18.3% | 28.3% | canada.ca4.0% | canada.ca4.4% |
| Philippines | 16.5% | 27.8% | nih.gov2.1% | dictionary.cambridge.org5.7% |
| India | 14.1% | 25.6% | nta.nic.in0.9% | careers360.com5.9% |
| United States | 13.6% | 38.0% | nih.gov1.4% | ed.gov2.6% |
| Japan | 11.6% | 18.8% | mext.go.jp2.4% | mhlw.go.jp5.8% |
How much of the data is not about education?
Ahrefs files every prompt under a category, and not everything filed under Education is about education. To size that, a random sample of about 400 answers per country (5,136 in all) was drawn, and the prompt behind each was labelled by AI models against a written rule. One model (Claude Sonnet 5.5) marked 12.3% of the answers across the 13 countries as off-topic, from 6.8% in India to 18.8% in France; the chart shows its labels by reason, and the largest group is parenting and baby care (4.7%). Two other models (Claude Haiku 5.5 and GPT-6 Luna), given a tightened version of the rule, both marked 8.8% as off-topic. So roughly one answer in ten is not about education. Nothing has been removed: every figure on these pages still includes these answers.
Estimated share of answers that are not about education, by reason
- Parenting and baby care
- Unclear prompts
- Other off-topic
- Shopping
- Games and celebrities
The same numbers as a table
| Country | Answers sampled | Off-topic | Parenting and baby care | Unclear prompts | Other off-topic | Shopping | Games and celebrities | Off-topic, two models agree |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| France | 400 | 18.8% | 9.2% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 3.8% | 0.8% | 15.3% |
| United Kingdom | 400 | 17.2% | 7.0% | 3.8% | 3.8% | 1.5% | 1.2% | 11.5% |
| Brazil | 400 | 15.5% | 7.5% | 2.5% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 0.5% | 13.0% |
| Japan | 400 | 14.5% | 6.5% | 0.8% | 2.5% | 2.2% | 2.5% | 11.5% |
| Australia | 400 | 14.2% | 6.5% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 10.0% |
| United States | 400 | 13.5% | 5.0% | 3.2% | 3.0% | 0.0% | 2.2% | 10.8% |
| Canada | 400 | 13.5% | 5.0% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 5.8% |
| Spain | 368 | 11.7% | 4.6% | 3.3% | 2.4% | 1.1% | 0.3% | 6.5% |
| Germany | 399 | 10.8% | 5.3% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 0.3% | 8.5% |
| Philippines | 369 | 9.2% | 2.4% | 2.7% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 0.5% | 7.0% |
| Indonesia | 400 | 8.8% | 2.5% | 2.8% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.5% | 4.8% |
| Mexico | 400 | 8.2% | 2.8% | 1.8% | 2.0% | 1.5% | 0.2% | 3.8% |
| India | 400 | 6.8% | 1.5% | 3.2% | 1.5% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 3.3% |
Two more things were counted on every answer, not on a sample. In Google AI Mode, 4.7% (Philippines) to 28.5% (Australia) of answers cite one of Google's own search pages as a source (a results page or the google.com home page). That is why Google ranks high in the source tables: of the answers that cite google.com at all, 92.5% to 99.2% cite one of those pages. And 4.1% to 9.3% of answers cite nothing at all; they stay in every denominator.
| Country | AI Mode answers citing Google's own search pages | AI Overviews doing the same | Answers with no citation | About driving licences (sample) | Looking for one site or login (sample) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 18.9% | 7.0% | 5.1% | 2.2% | 29.0% |
| India | 18.0% | 7.8% | 7.2% | 0.2% | 31.8% |
| Japan | 17.7% | 5.8% | 5.5% | 2.0% | 31.5% |
| United Kingdom | 27.0% | 7.3% | 5.9% | 2.5% | 27.8% |
| Indonesia | 9.1% | 3.1% | 7.0% | 0.5% | 17.5% |
| Brazil | 8.5% | 4.8% | 9.3% | 0.8% | 11.0% |
| Mexico | 9.7% | 3.2% | 7.1% | 0.0% | 16.2% |
| Canada | 17.8% | 6.0% | 4.1% | 3.2% | 26.0% |
| Australia | 28.5% | 8.0% | 4.1% | 2.0% | 29.2% |
| France | 8.0% | 2.8% | 5.5% | 2.8% | 12.0% |
| Germany | 12.0% | 4.1% | 5.9% | 5.0% | 11.8% |
| Philippines | 4.7% | 2.6% | 7.3% | 1.4% | 10.6% |
| Spain | 20.8% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 3.8% | 22.0% |
Which sources and searches lead in each country?
Pick a country to see its 15 most-cited sources across all platforms and the searches with the highest monthly search volume in its data (Ahrefs). Each search triggered an AI answer that was collected. Searches made only of symbols or digits are left out of the list.
What was collected in each country?
3,724,208 AI answers to 3,025,212 different prompts, from 44 export files. Google AI Overviews are 58.2% to 75.3% of the answers in every country, so all-platform figures lean toward Google.
| Country | AI answers | Different prompts | Files | From AI Overviews | Top source | Second | Top named education site | Best of the 33 international brands |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,456,743 | 1,202,693 | 15 | 69.5% | YouTube32.4% | Reddit15.9% | study.com1.4% | Brand 52.5% |
| India | 629,880 | 502,228 | 7 | 65.9% | YouTube25.7% | shiksha.com11.0% | shiksha.com11.0% | Brand 52.7% |
| Japan | 274,068 | 203,706 | 3 | 60.8% | YouTube16.3% | Yahoo! Chiebukuro12.8% | minkou.jp10.8% | none in the top 60 |
| United Kingdom | 222,184 | 170,206 | 2 | 58.2% | YouTube24.8% | Google12.5% | ucas.com2.9% | Brand 52.0% |
| Indonesia | 170,993 | 140,326 | 2 | 70.2% | YouTube33.9% | Instagram23.3% | ruangguru.com7.0% | none in the top 60 |
| Brazil | 161,570 | 131,651 | 2 | 67.9% | YouTube43.7% | Instagram25.1% | querobolsa.com.br9.8% | Brand 60.9% |
| Mexico | 141,634 | 120,569 | 1 | 73.1% | YouTube42.2% | Facebook30.9% | mextudia.com3.5% | Brand 61.1% |
| Canada | 131,414 | 111,522 | 1 | 72.6% | YouTube32.4% | Reddit16.5% | idp.com2.1% | Brand 54.1% |
| Australia | 128,845 | 104,677 | 1 | 63.9% | YouTube24.6% | Google12.9% | bettereducation.com.au2.1% | Brand 51.9% |
| France | 111,959 | 91,722 | 7 | 68.5% | YouTube31.0% | Wikipedia11.2% | letudiant.fr7.9% | none in the top 60 |
| Germany | 109,804 | 88,126 | 1 | 62.2% | YouTube31.3% | Wikipedia13.8% | studyflix.de5.4% | Brand 50.8% |
| Philippines | 93,035 | 79,198 | 1 | 75.3% | YouTube37.7% | Facebook29.5% | study.com7.0% | Brand 33.0% |
| Spain | 92,079 | 78,588 | 1 | 65.9% | YouTube32.3% | Facebook11.2% | micole.net4.1% | none in the top 60 |
How was this measured?
- ·Data: Ahrefs Brand Radar, AI responses, one export per country, data date 14 November 2026: every answer whose prompt Ahrefs files under Jobs and Education > Education, with no site filter. 3,724,208 answers in 13 countries, dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026.
- ·Measure: the share of answers that cite a source, or a kind of source, at least once.
- ·Kinds of source: each cited page gets one kind by fixed rules (domain lists and suffixes such as .gov or .ac.jp), the same in every country. A site the rules do not name falls under Other websites, which still holds some local education and news sites, so the education-site shares are a floor.
- ·United States: The United States is measured here the same way as the other 12 countries: every education answer, with no site filter, dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026. The US study page is a separate, deeper pull (1,184,146 answers dated 25 June 2026 to 1 October 2026 that cite or mention one of 33 education sites, classified by topic), so the two pages give different figures for the United States: YouTube is cited in 30.9% of answers there and 32.4% here.
- ·Missing answers: France is missing 1,492 answers (ChatGPT answers with keyword volume 101 and up): the export failed on every attempt.
- ·Off-topic estimate: 5,136 answers drawn at random, about 400 per country, the prompt behind each labelled by AI models against a written rule. The rule counts as education anything about learning, teaching or training, or about an institution, programme, exam, qualification, learning tool, school logistics or student money; it counts as off-topic parenting and baby care, games and celebrities, shopping, and anything else. Country figures are one model's labels (Claude Sonnet 5.5); the lower figure is the share two other models (Claude Haiku 5.5 and GPT-6 Luna) both marked off-topic under a tightened version of the rule. These are estimates, and no answer has been removed because of them.
- ·Platform mix: Google AI Overviews are most of the answers in every country, so all-platform figures lean toward Google. Each country page breaks the numbers down by platform.
- ·One snapshot: this is one pull, not a trend.
How to cite this study
Suggested citation
Pagadala, V. (2026). AI Search Citations in Education by Country (2026). 3,724,208 AI answers in 13 countries, Ahrefs Brand Radar, answers dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026. https://venkatapagadala.com/ai-retrieval-citations-research/education-industry/by-country
The data files on this page are licensed under CC BY 4.0: you may reuse them, with credit to this study.
Sources & further reading
Off-topic estimate by reason, answers citing Google's own search pages, answers with no citation
Go deeper
Which source does AI cite most for education questions around the world?
YouTube is the most-cited source for education questions in all 13 countries, from 16.3% of answers (Japan) to 43.7% (Brazil). Below it, every country's AI answers lean on their own sources: shiksha.com in India, minkou.jp in Japan, ucas.com in the United Kingdom, ruangguru.com in Indonesia. From 3,724,208 AI answers dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026.
In which country does AI cite YouTube most for education questions?
Brazil: 43.7% of AI answers to education questions there cite YouTube, against 16.3% in Japan.
Do AI answers cite local education sites outside the US?
Yes. Education sites appear in 42.7% of answers in Japan, and in each country the most-cited education site outside the study's 33 international brands is: shiksha.com (India), minkou.jp (Japan), ucas.com (United Kingdom), ruangguru.com (Indonesia), querobolsa.com.br (Brazil), mextudia.com (Mexico), idp.com (Canada), bettereducation.com.au (Australia), letudiant.fr (France), studyflix.de (Germany), study.com (Philippines), micole.net (Spain).
Where does AI cite government websites most for education questions?
France (37.3% of answers), then Australia (31.7%) and the United Kingdom (28.2%).
Do ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews cite the same sources for education questions?
No. Google AI Overviews cite a video in 25.2% (Japan) to 61.2% (Brazil) of their answers; ChatGPT cites one in at most 0.4% in any country. ChatGPT's most-cited source is a government or public-agency site in 11 of the 13 countries.
How much of the data is not about education?
An estimated 9% to 12% across the 13 countries. In a random sample of 5,136 answers, one AI model marked 12.3% of answers as off-topic (from 6.8% in India to 18.8% in France), and two other models with a tightened rule both marked 8.8%. It is an estimate, not a count, and nothing has been removed from the figures on this page.
Why do the United States figures differ from the US study page?
The United States is measured here the same way as the other 12 countries: every education answer, with no site filter, dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026. The US study page is a separate, deeper pull (1,184,146 answers dated 25 June 2026 to 1 October 2026 that cite or mention one of 33 education sites, classified by topic), so the two pages give different figures for the United States: YouTube is cited in 30.9% of answers there and 32.4% here.
How should I cite this study?
Pagadala, V. (2026). AI Search Citations in Education by Country (2026). 3,724,208 AI answers in 13 countries, Ahrefs Brand Radar, answers dated 17 August 2026 to 14 November 2026. https://venkatapagadala.com/ai-retrieval-citations-research/education-industry/by-country