Ranked First Worldwide in Attracting Wealth Owners for the Third Consecutive Year
Third Place Globally in Science Graduates and Utilization of Digital Tools, Technology, and Healthcare Infrastructure
Seventh Globally in Economic Stability and Strength, and Eighth in Overall International Influence Index
Ninth Globally in Foreign Investment Confidence
Tenth Worldwide in the Global Soft Power Index for 2025
The UAE Climbs Eight Positions to Ninth in the Global Talent Report 2025
The remarkable ascent of the United Arab Emirates began in 2006 when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum assumed leadership of the government, setting the nation on a path to become one of the top five countries in international competitiveness. This trajectory, guided by a vision of aspiring for no less than first place, has succeeded over two decades in establishing the UAE’s soft power, impressing the world and demonstrating that leadership is an intrinsic aspect of Emirati identity.
The year 2006 marked the launch of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision to bolster the UAE’s competitiveness, focusing on positive change, investing in human capital, and laying a solid foundation for comprehensive and sustainable development.
In 2009, Sheikh Mohammed established the “UAE Competitiveness Council,” chaired by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Minister of Economy, to include representatives from the federal government, local governments, and the private sector. This council aimed to develop the state’s competitive strategy and realize the government’s aspiration for the UAE to be one of the most competitive nations globally.
By 2015, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority was created to replace the National Bureau of Statistics and the UAE Competitiveness Council. In 2020, the Cabinet, led by Sheikh Mohammed, decided to rename the authority to the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, integrating it into the Ministry of Cabinet Affairs.
The Federal Center continues to play a crucial role in organizing the statistical and competitive sectors in the UAE and enhancing the nation’s standing in global competitiveness reports. It has been pivotal in creating a comprehensive national statistical system and elevating the country’s competitiveness across various sectors, embedding competitiveness into the operational framework of the government.
Competitiveness Indicators
Since 2006, the UAE has witnessed continuous leaps in global competitiveness, leading in numerous international indicators. The nation ranks first globally in 279 indicators, including government efficiency, minimal bureaucracy, legislative speed and flexibility, business environment, talent attraction, digital government transformation, macroeconomic stability, security, quality of healthcare, satisfaction with road quality, and women’s representation in parliament.
In 2011, the UAE surged from 28th to the top five countries in the Global Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, released by the International Institute for Management Development. These results reflect the effectiveness and efficiency of the UAE’s comprehensive development strategy and its leadership in governmental operations.
The UAE also ranked among the top five in the Global Competitiveness Yearbook 2025, scoring 96.09 points out of 100, moving up two positions from 2024 while maintaining regional dominance for the ninth consecutive year.
Additionally, the UAE leads in several specialized international indicators, including artificial intelligence in government services, digital infrastructure readiness, data utilization in decision-making, and public-private partnerships.
It secured the second position globally in social cohesion, residency laws flexibility, and government adaptability, while achieving third place in science graduates and the use of digital tools and technology, as well as healthcare infrastructure.
Previously, the UAE was ranked tenth in the Global Soft Power Index for 2025, announced in February at the annual event in London, marking an increase in the value of its national media identity from one trillion dollars to over one trillion and two hundred twenty-three billion dollars by 2025.
The UAE established itself first globally in its national media identity performance, fourth in future growth opportunities, and sixth in the strength of national media identity.
It also climbed to seventh globally in economic stability and strength, eighth in the overall international influence index, and ninth in international relations and technology and innovation influence, entering the top ten for foreign investment and space exploration, along with global public engagement on its affairs.
Furthermore, the UAE achieved notable milestones in gender balance, ranking 13th worldwide while maintaining the top regional position in the Gender Equality Index 2025 released by the United Nations Development Programme.
Continuous Achievements
In September, the UAE reached a new milestone by ranking among the top 10 countries in the Global Talent Report 2025 by the International Institute for Management Development, improving eight positions from the previous year.
The report revealed the UAE’s score of 77.86 points, achieving first place globally in five competitive indicators and ranking among the top ten in 15 competitive indicators across key axes. The UAE came first regionally and globally in the readiness axis, which measures the availability of skills and competencies in the labor market. It ranked 12th globally in the attractiveness axis, reflecting the nation’s ability to benefit from global talent and attract international competencies, and rose six spots in the investment and national skill development axis compared to the 2024 rankings.
This impressive performance demonstrates the integrated economic and human appeal systems in the UAE. The nation has been ranked first globally in attracting wealth owners for three consecutive years, as per specialized international reports, confirming its status as a global hub for talent, expertise, and high-value investments.
The UAE retained its leading position regionally among countries with very high human development, advancing eleven ranks globally in the Human Development Index 2025 report by the UNDP, securing the 15th position out of 193 countries included in the report and being the only Arab nation among the top 20.
Quality of Life
The UAE ranked first globally in health awareness programs, community participation in health policies, and quality of life improvement according to the “Health Inclusiveness Index” launched by Halion in collaboration with Economist Impact last July, during a discussion session held in Abu Dhabi.
The significance of this Health Inclusiveness Index stems from its role as an international evaluation tool comparing the performance of 40 countries across 58 sub-indicators in health culture, awareness, inclusiveness, and justice.
The UAE also ranked second globally in implementing a comprehensive health system, among the top five countries for patient-centered healthcare, and tenth globally in health culture.
This advanced health performance is bolstered by the UAE’s leading results in social cohesion, ranking second globally as per international competitiveness reports, reflecting a stable societal environment conducive to health and quality of life.
Leading Position
The UAE’s top rankings across various global business and economic reports reaffirm its dominance, having been ranked first globally for the fourth consecutive year in the “Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report 2024/2025,” identifying the UAE as the best place for entrepreneurship and SMEs among 56 economies this year. Additionally, the UAE scored first among high-income countries in 11 out of 13 key indicators based on expert assessments of institutional frameworks supporting the entrepreneurial environment.
In the Foreign Investment Confidence Index released by Kearney for 2025, the UAE secured the ninth position globally, advancing ten ranks from 2020, which reflects international investor confidence in the secure and stable business environment.
According to the World Investment Report 2025 from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the UAE ranked tenth globally as the largest destination for foreign direct investment inflows, achieving unprecedented inflows valued at 167.6 billion dirhams (45.6 billion USD) in 2024.
Furthermore, a report from FDI Intelligence ranks the UAE first globally in new foreign direct investment performance for 2025 relative to its economic size and second as the most favored destination for foreign direct investment based on incoming projects.
The second edition of the Digital Transformation Report in the UAE revealed the country’s leading positions in crucial governmental indices worldwide, ranking first globally in communication infrastructure, digital government institutional frameworks, digital content index, and digital knowledge index as reported by the United Nations. The UAE also achieved first globally in the government digital capability index by Oxford Insights, third in service delivery index, fourth in governmental digital transformation maturity index by the World Bank, ninth in the digital competitiveness index by the International Institute for Management Development, and eleventh in the United Nations Digital Government Development Index.
The UAE has further solidified its position as one of the globe’s most attractive countries for those wishing to live and work in a secure and stable environment, topping the global safety rankings around mid-2025, according to the global statistics site Numbeo.
It recorded a safety score of 85.2 out of 100, derived from several metrics measuring safety levels, including crime rates, public safety, emergency services quality, and social and economic stability.
Cultivating Excellence
The notable advancements achieved by the UAE in global competitiveness indices and soft power reflect the strategic framework established by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum since he assumed government leadership in 2006.
His vision transformed governmental work from traditional management to fostering excellence across all sectors through institutionalizing competitiveness and making it a national culture—anchoring structural pathways based on investment in human capital and comprehensive digital transformation. This has made the Emirati model a global reference for how nations can move from planning to world-leading initiatives in record time.
The strategic strength of this approach is evident in the nation’s capacity to maintain its leadership and enhance its performance even in challenging global circumstances; the UAE’s entry into the top five globally for competitiveness and its tenth global ranking in soft power demonstrate the harmonious interplay between economic efficiency and cultural appeal alongside impactful diplomacy.
This synergy underscores the maturity of the Emirati experience, which has not contented itself with building world-class infrastructure but has also crafted a “national media identity” valued at over one trillion dollars, establishing the UAE as a global center of gravity and a magnet for talents and expertise from across the globe.
These continuous achievements signify that the UAE has transcended mere competition with others, now competing with itself. The excellence philosophy led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum transforms the UAE’s journey into one of constant progress from one peak to a higher one, racing towards an infinite future.
Today, the UAE stands on the map of global excellence, not just as a successful nation but as a pioneering model that proves to the world that political will combined with strategic vision can reshape history and shape the future’s outlines.
Under this vision, competitiveness in the UAE has evolved beyond a numerical contest into a consistent method of governance for a nation aware of its current standing and its future direction.