Ranked First Globally for the Fourth Consecutive Year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report
The UAE’s leading position has become evident through its prominence in various global competitiveness indicators related to entrepreneurship and investment attraction, reflecting the strength of its investment environment, the efficiency of its comprehensive development strategy, and the attractiveness of its economy. Additionally, these indicators underscore the country’s solid security and stability system, which ensures that capital can grow and thrive without facing risks or threats that could impede its operations or expansion into regional and global markets.
The UAE’s excellence in attracting entrepreneurs and supporting investment has been showcased over recent years, with the country achieving a significant global leadership status in numerous indicators. In the current year, the UAE secured a prominent place among the top five in the 2025 Global Competitiveness Report issued by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), scoring 96.09 out of 100, advancing two ranks from 2024. The UAE has maintained its position as the regional leader for nine consecutive years. According to the report, the UAE climbed seven spots in the business efficiency category, placing it third globally, while also achieving outstanding performance in economic performance and government efficiency, ranking second and fourth at a global level, respectively.
Regionally and globally, the UAE ranked first in the readiness category, which assesses the availability of skills and competencies in the labor market, and achieved 12th place worldwide in the attractiveness index, reflecting the country’s ability to leverage global talent and attract international competencies. Furthermore, it improved by six ranks from the 2024 classification in the national talent investment and development category, retaining the first global position for the fourth consecutive year in the 2024-2025 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report, which identified the UAE as the best place for entrepreneurship and small to medium-sized enterprises among 56 economies surveyed this year.
The UAE secured the top spot among high-income countries across 11 out of 13 key indicators evaluated in the report, based on expert assessments of the institutional frameworks that support the entrepreneurial environment.
According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development’s Global Investment Report 2025, the UAE ranked tenth globally as the largest destination for inbound foreign direct investment, achieving a record level of FDI inflows valued at 167.6 billion AED (45.6 billion USD) in 2024.
A report by fDi Intelligence indicated that the UAE leads globally in new foreign direct investment performance for 2025 relative to the size of its economy, and the country was ranked second in the world as the most preferred destination for foreign direct investment based on incoming projects.
In terms of security and stability, the UAE has strengthened its position as one of the most stable and attractive places to live and work, ranked second globally in the Global Safety Index according to Numbeo’s 2025 report, with a safety score of 84.5 out of 100.
The UAE continues to lead in the 2025 Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index, ranking third globally among a list of 50 emerging markets worldwide. Additionally, the UAE was ranked first globally in the 2024-2025 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for the National Entrepreneurship Context Index, which assesses the supportive climate for entrepreneurship in each country.
Despite these remarkable results in global competitiveness indicators achieved in recent years, the UAE is still intensifying its efforts to bolster its position in these rankings, aiming to increase the success rate of entrepreneurs from 30% to 50% over the next decade.