The quality of national education depends on many factors, which traditionally include adult literacy, the total share of students receiving general, secondary vocational and higher education, the level of the material and technical base, etc. Based on these factors, a list of leading countries by the level of education is formed. The authors believe that in the short term it practically does not change, the leaders retain their positions, the lagging countries rarely get out on top positions. However, the world changes, new trends and tendencies determine the constant change and improvement of quality criteria. The authors suppose that the process of digitalization of the economy will play a significant role in this process. New technologies and processes will undoubtedly update the picture of the leaders of the modern educational process. Here, the countries occupying second positions can claim the role of leaders. These aspects determine the relevance of this study. In this regard, the purpose of the work is to perform a comparative analysis of the quality of education and the level of competitiveness of the leading countries in the context of the growing digitalization process. The research methodology is based on a systematic and structural-functional approach. The representativeness and reliability of the research results are based on the use of general scientific and special methods, including analysis, synthesis, modeling, extrapolation, content analysis, historical analysis, and others. Based on the world ratings of the quality of education, the authors' own rating of the best national education systems was compiled. Moreover, the authors noted that this rating also differs little from the rating of countries' competitiveness on the world stage. The main reasons for distinguishing the leading countries include the existing stage of development, the standard of living of the population, investments in education and science, and other reasons.