Existing comparative data for adaptive capacity worldwide is at a rather coarse level of temporal and spatial resolution. It can, nonetheless, provide a very general picture of rates of change in adaptive capacity at the national scale, and differences between countries. Further empirical research is needed to identify the most important predictors of variation across countries and time, though the available data suggests that differing national income and education levels play a major role in accounting for differences in adaptive capacity . Spatially more resolved  data is needed because a large body of case study research suggests that there is strong variation within countries, particularly the large ones  . Moreover, higher degrees of adaptive capacity do not mean that adaptation action will follow automatically, nor that it will succeed in terms of equity and effectiveness in reducing vulnerability to climate change and enhancing well-being. How differences across and within countries in climate risk exposure translate into adaptation action, contingent on differences in adaptive capacity, can to some extent be inferred from case studies, but this remains to be studied at a larger, comparable and generalisable scale.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report