The UAE ranks first in the world in the “Entrepreneurship Monitor” report

The UAE has maintained its global leadership in the entrepreneurship environment, as it ranked first in the world for the fifth year in a row, in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report for the year 2025-2026, outperforming many advanced economies, and confirming its position as the best environment for starting and practicing new businesses in the world.

The UAE ranked first among high-income economies in eight indicators in the report, which included physical infrastructure, government policies in terms of support and convenience, government policies related to taxes and bureaucracy, government entrepreneurship programs, transfer of research and development, ease of entry in terms of market dynamics, ease of entry in terms of burdens and regulations, and entrepreneurial education.

In addition, the country ranked second globally in the “Entrepreneurial Finance” and “Ease of Access to Entrepreneurial Finance” indicators, and the country is among only four countries that succeeded in achieving or exceeding the “adequacy” level in all conditions of the index’s entrepreneurship framework.

The Minister of Economy and Tourism, Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri, said: “We are proud that the UAE is ranked first in the world in developing the entrepreneurship system, and consolidating its position as the most supportive economy for entrepreneurship, and the first destination for establishing projects and commercial activities. This achievement comes as a translation of the directives of the wise leadership that has given entrepreneurship and supporting small and medium enterprises a top priority, as it is an essential pillar for building a competitive knowledge economy based on innovation and knowledge, in addition to the high flexibility that the UAE economy enjoys. And the ability to adapt to various regional and international variables.”

He added that these results reflect the integrity and strength of the competitive policies and legislation launched by the state to create an incubating environment for entrepreneurship, through the launch of supportive initiatives and strategies, including the success of the national campaign “The UAE is the Entrepreneurial Capital of the World,” which was launched recently, to embody the state’s drive to make it the first destination for talents, innovators, and entrepreneurs globally, which contributed to creating a world-class entrepreneurship environment.

According to the report, the UAE recorded an advanced performance at the global level in the quality of the entrepreneurial environment, achieving 7.0 points in the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) for the year 2025, which monitors the climate supportive of entrepreneurship in each country.

The report indicated that the UAE is among only six countries whose entrepreneurs agree on the utmost importance of artificial intelligence in the next three years. In this context, the UAE, along with three other countries: Taiwan, Norway, and Sweden, received an “excellent” rating in both the “Sustainability Priorities” index and “Awareness of Artificial Intelligence.” The UAE also achieved an outstanding performance in the “International Access” index, where it was ranked among the top five countries in the report in terms of the ability of its emerging companies to penetrate foreign markets.

The report confirms that the UAE has succeeded in creating an entrepreneurial environment characterized by continuity and growth, as the number of adults who start new businesses exceeds one in five adults (more than 20%), and the percentage of entrepreneurial activity in its early stages (TEA) also recorded high levels, reaching 19.2%.

The report highlighted the attractiveness of the UAE environment for talent, as the rate of entrepreneurial activity recorded 19.6% among citizens, and 22.4% among residents. The report also showed that the UAE provided an integrated entrepreneurial environment that contributed to promoting women’s entrepreneurship.

In the same context, the report indicated that more than half of entrepreneurs believe that family traditions represent an important motivation for establishing and developing their businesses, and the country has also achieved remarkable progress in the entrepreneurship education index in schools, where it ranked among the top five countries. The report indicated that entrepreneurship in the UAE is based on an advanced and flexible financing environment, which provides entrepreneurs with broad opportunities to obtain the capital necessary to launch and expand their projects.

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report is considered one of the most prominent global references in measuring and analyzing entrepreneurial activity, as it relies on a huge database that includes more than two million cumulative interviews since its inception. In its current version, it is based on data from 53 economies that represent about 43% of the world’s population and 57% of the global gross domestic product. The report includes more than 160,000 participants in the adult population survey, and more than 2,000 national experts, along with 370 experts and researchers. Technically.