UAE marks 2025 with global competitiveness milestones

The United Arab Emirates has secured leading positions across several major global competitiveness indices in 2025, underscoring a period of rapid institutional and economic growth that has placed the nation among the world's most influential economies.

The country ranked among the global top five in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2025, scoring 96.09 out of 100 points. This achievement marks a two-place ascent from the previous year, with the UAE maintaining its position as the top-ranked nation in the region for the ninth consecutive year. 

In the Global Soft Power Index 2025, released in February in London, the UAE ranked 10th globally, while its Nation Brand value rose from $1 trillion to $1.223 trillion in 2025. 

These gains were further mirrored in the 2025 UNDP Human Development Index, where the UAE climbed 11 spots to rank 15th globally. It remains the only Arab country among the world's top 20 nations for human development. 

Additionally, the UAE ranked 9th in the IMD World Talent Rankings, an eight-place jump from 2024, driven by high scores in workforce readiness and international appeal. 

In the healthcare sector, the UAE ranked first globally in health outreach programmes, community participation in health policy, and wellbeing promotion, according to the Health Inclusivity Index, developed by Haleon in partnership with Economist Impact. 

The UAE is among the top five countries globally for person-centred healthcare and second for inclusive health system implementation, while ranking tenth globally in health literacy. 

Technological leadership was highlighted in the second edition of the “State of Digital Transformation Report”, where the UAE secured the top global ranking in the telecommunications infrastructure index, the institutional framework for digital government, and the digital content index. 

It also topped the global “Government AI Readiness Index 2024” by Oxford Insights, ranked third in government service delivery, and placed fourth in GovTech Maturity Index according to the World Bank. The country came in 11th in both the IMD’s Digital Competitiveness Index and the UN E-Government Development Index. 

Safety and business environment continue to serve as pillars for the country's international standing. The UAE was named the safest country globally in the mid-2025 Numbeo Safety Index, recording a score of 85.2. Furthermore, the UAE has ranked first globally for the fourth consecutive year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report 2024/2025, which identified the nation as the best place for entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises among 56 economies assessed. 

According to the UNCTAD World Investment Report 2025, the UAE ranked 10th globally as a destination for FDI inflow, recording Dhs167.6 billion ($45.6 billion) in 2024.

WAM