The United Arab Emirates continues to make significant progress across global competitiveness, government efficiency, and international influence indicators, reinforcing its position among the world’s most adaptable and forward-looking economies.
This progress reflects a long-term development approach built on strategic planning, modern legislation, economic resilience, and sustained investment in technology, infrastructure, and the business environment.
Over the past several years, the UAE has transformed ambitious national goals into policies, programs, and projects that have strengthened government performance, supported economic growth, improved infrastructure, and enhanced the country’s attractiveness to investors and businesses.
UAE Ranks Fifth Globally in Competitiveness
In the 2026 World Competitiveness Report, the UAE ranked fifth globally, compared with 15th place in 2016, marking an improvement of 10 positions over the course of a decade.
The country also maintained its regional leadership for the tenth consecutive year, reflecting the consistency of its economic and development policies and their ability to produce measurable long-term results.
The significance of this progress extends beyond the UAE’s overall position in the ranking, with the country also achieving leading results across a wide range of individual competitiveness indicators.
First Globally in Economic Performance
The UAE ranked first in the world in economic performance and also topped 21 competitiveness indicators in the 2026 report.
Among the areas in which the country achieved leading positions were the absence of bureaucracy and the ability of government policy to adapt to changing conditions.
These results highlight the flexibility of the UAE’s government system and its ability to respond quickly to economic, technological, and global developments.
The UAE also ranked among the world’s top five countries in 67 indicators, demonstrating that its progress extends across economic, regulatory, government, and technology-related areas.
Strong Rankings in Government and Artificial Intelligence
The UAE ranked fourth globally in government efficiency, corporate investment in artificial intelligence, and the legal and regulatory framework.
It also placed second worldwide in several important indicators, including public confidence in artificial intelligence, company formation, women’s representation in parliament, and city management.
The country ranked third globally in the image of the nation abroad, public access to artificial intelligence, tourism revenue as a share of the economy, merchandise exports, and several indicators related to energy infrastructure.
Together, these results show that the UAE’s competitiveness is built on a broad set of strengths, ranging from economic performance and effective regulation to technology adoption, urban development, and high-quality public services.
A Decade of Continued Progress
Since 2016, the UAE has made substantial progress in global competitiveness, moving from 15th place to fifth place over a period of 10 years.
This transformation has been supported by policies and programs focused on economic diversification, higher government efficiency, infrastructure development, and greater attractiveness for businesses and investors.
Early investment in advanced technologies and artificial intelligence has also helped strengthen the UAE economy’s ability to adapt to global changes and create new areas of growth.
The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre plays an important role in supporting this progress by monitoring global indicators, strengthening national competitiveness, and keeping pace with international best practices in ways that support long-term development and innovation.
UAE Among the World’s Leading Governments
The UAE’s progress has not been limited to economic and competitiveness rankings. The country has also strengthened its position in the Chandler Good Government Index.
After ranking 24th globally in the first edition of the index in 2021, the UAE moved into the list of the world’s top 10 governments.
In the 2026 Good Government Index results, the UAE ranked second globally in leadership and government foresight.
It also placed second worldwide in satisfaction with government services, employment, and adaptability, while ranking third globally in long-term government vision and the effectiveness of coordination across state institutions.
These rankings reflect an approach focused on building a more flexible and forward-looking government model closely linked to service quality, faster decision-making, and preparedness for future changes.
Rising Global Soft Power and International Image
The UAE has also continued to advance in the Global Soft Power Index, moving from 18th place worldwide in 2020 to 10th place in 2026.
This represents an eight-place improvement over six years and places the country among the world’s 10 strongest nations in terms of soft power.
That progress is reinforced by the UAE’s third-place global ranking in the “image of the country abroad” indicator in the 2026 World Competitiveness Report.
The result reflects the country’s growing international presence and the strength of its global reputation in economic and development terms.
