The first UAE in the world in the International Observatory for Entrepreneurship Report

The UAE ranked first in the world, for the fourth year in a row, in the “World Entrepreneurship Report for 2024/2025 /2025 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, GEM”, and the report also ranked the UAE as the best place for entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises, among 56 economies included in the report for this year.

The Ministry of Economy stated, in a statement yesterday, that the UAE got the first place, within the group of high -income countries in 11 major indicators out of 13 indicators in which the report is based on experts’ evaluation of the institutional frameworks supporting the Entrepreneurship Environment.

The frameworks in which the state surpassed globally included: financing entrepreneurial projects, ease of access to financing, government policies supporting entrepreneurship, government policies related to taxes and bureaucracy, government entrepreneurship programs, integration of entrepreneurship in school education, post school education, transfer of research and development results, commercial and professional infrastructure, and the ease of entering the market in terms of burdens, organizational regulations, social standards, and social standards Cultural entrepreneurship.

The Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Alia Bint Abdullah Al Mazrouei, said, “The fruits of the forward -looking vision adopted by the UAE, thanks to the support and directives of its rational leadership, to develop an integrated work system for entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprises, is evident today progress and prosperity at the regional and global levels, through the UAE’s obtaining the first place as the best environment for entrepreneurship in the world, and the first destination to establish Emerging projects for the fourth time in a row.

She added: «This achievement reflects the state’s commitment to providing an attractive and influential climate for entrepreneurship depending on the best global practices, and enabling startups to expand in the digital and advanced economic sectors, and to provide initiatives and appropriate solutions for financing and establish various projects, in order to support the establishment of the UAE’s position as a global center for the new economy by the next decade, in light of the targets of vision (we are the Emirates 2031).

According to the report, the entrepreneurial environment in the UAE continues its prosperity and progress globally, driven by supportive policies to practice business and economic activities, distinguished government initiatives, and competitive investment climate, explaining that one of the most prominent main factors that contributed to achieving this is that the state pumps investments estimated at $ 8.7 billion to enhance innovation and the growth of small and medium -sized companies, within initiatives “Fiftieth Projects” related to the pioneering of business and small and medium enterprises, allowing foreign ownership of companies by 100%, and the continuous increase in foreign direct investment that achieved a record in 2023.

The report pointed out that the culture of entrepreneurship in the country has a high degree of awareness and ambition for members of society, as 67% of adults know a pioneer or believe that they have the skills necessary to start a commercial project, while 70% of the Emirati community see strong opportunities to launch a commercial project locally, and gives 78% of new entrepreneurs priority to the social and environmental influence on profitability, while 75% expect Entrepreneurs in the early stages expanding their work teams, and employing at least six employees during the next five years, and 80% of entrepreneurs plan to integrate digital technology into their commercial operations, and 78% of new entrepreneurs express their enthusiasm to build a large wealth or high income, and serves 55% of entrepreneurs in the UAE clients outside the UAE markets, which enhances the UAE’s position as a global business and investment center.

The UAE was also classified in the first place in the world within the same report on the “National Entrepreneurship Index”, which monitors the climate supporting entrepreneurship in each country, based on a balance of points according to the opinions of national experts in the field of entrepreneurship, which contributes to enhancing the UAE’s vision by reaching a million small and medium companies by 2031.

. 11 major indicators measure the quality of the entrepreneurial environment in which the state was issued.

. 70 % of the Emirati society see opportunities to launch a commercial project locally.