With exceptional performance…the UAE continues to take the lead in the 2026 global competitiveness race

During the first half of 2026, the UAE strengthened its global presence as one of the most competitive and pioneering countries, after it continued to achieve advanced results in international and regional indicators and reports, confirming the ability of its development model to achieve sustainable achievements and consolidate its position among the economies most prepared for the future.

These advanced results reflect the success of the Emirati approach based on a long-term, forward-looking vision, and a government system characterized by efficiency, flexibility, and speed of achievement, in addition to the adoption of integrated development policies that made readiness, proactive planning, and innovation essential pillars for enhancing growth and transforming global changes into opportunities that advance the comprehensive development process, and consecrates the Emirati position as a global model in management and development.

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

The country ranked first among high-income economies in eight indicators that included infrastructure, government policies in terms of support and convenience, taxes and bureaucracy, government entrepreneurship programs, transfer of research and development, ease of entering markets, and entrepreneurial education.

The UAE ranked second globally in the indicators of entrepreneurial financing and ease of access, and was among only four countries that exceeded the “adequacy” level in all conditions of the index’s entrepreneurship framework.

The country achieved advanced performance in the annual global competitiveness report for 2026, issued by the Global Competitiveness Center of the International Institute for Administrative Development in Lausanne, by ranking first in the world in the economic performance pillar, and fifth in the world in overall competitiveness.

The UAE maintained first place regionally for the tenth year in a row, and ranked fourth globally in government efficiency, corporate investment in artificial intelligence, and the legal and regulatory framework.

The strong performance of vital sectors contributed to the country being among the top ten globally in 118 indicators, and among the top five in 67 main and sub-indices.

The UAE ranked first globally in 21 indicators, most notably the absence of bureaucracy, the ability of government policies to adapt, the employment rate, the availability of global expertise, national culture, community support for competitiveness, and the quality of air transport.

It ranked second globally in indicators of citizens’ confidence in artificial intelligence, establishing companies, women’s representation in parliament, and city management, and third globally in the country’s external image, providing access to artificial intelligence technologies, tourism revenues, merchandise exports, and energy infrastructure.

The UAE has established itself as one of the ten most powerful countries in the world in the Global Soft Power Index for 2026, issued by Brand Finance, for the fourth year in a row.

The country recorded advanced performance across the various axes of the index, strengthening its position in business, trade and international relations, achieving qualitative progress in governance, security and sustainability, in addition to recording its highest ranking historically in governance indicators.

The UAE also entered, for the first time, among the top ten investment destinations in the world, benefiting from its economic reputation, the stability of the business environment, and its ability to adapt to global economic transformations.

The Global Soft Power Index is based on an assessment that included 193 countries, with the participation of more than 150,000 business leaders, policy makers, and societal elites around the world.

The UAE has once again proven its position among the most stable and attractive countries in the world to live and work, after it topped the safety index for the year 2026, according to the Numbeo website, which specializes in comparing standards of living and quality of life.

According to the report, Abu Dhabi continued to top the list of the safest cities in the world for the tenth year in a row since 2017.

As an extension of the indicators of stability and attractiveness, the UAE topped the world’s countries most attracting wealthy people during the year 2026, for the second year in a row, according to a report. «Henley Private Wealth Migration Report 2026».

The report showed that the country achieved the highest score globally in the “Competitiveness of Wealth Transfer” index, at 85.3 points out of 100.

The UAE also ranked first in the world in the index of trust in governments, according to the Edelman Trust Report for the year 2026.