Abu dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has achieved leading positions across several major global competitiveness indices in 2025, highlighting a period of significant institutional and economic growth that has positioned the nation among the world's most influential economies.
According to Emirates News Agency, the UAE ranked among the global top five in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking 2025, achieving a score of 96.09 out of 100 points. This marks a two-place rise from the previous year, with the UAE maintaining its status as the top-ranked nation in the region for the ninth consecutive year.
In the Global Soft Power Index 2025, unveiled in February in London, the UAE secured the 10th spot globally, while its Nation Brand value increased from $1 trillion to $1.223 trillion in 2025. These advancements were reflected in the 2025 UNDP Human Development Index, where the UAE climbed 11 places to rank 15th globally, remaining the only Arab country among the world's top 20 nations for human development.
Further, the UAE ranked 9th in the IMD World Talent Rankings, jumping eight places from 2024, driven by high scores in workforce readiness and international appeal. In the healthcare sector, the UAE led globally in health outreach programmes, community participation in health policy, and wellbeing promotion, as per the Health Inclusivity Index developed by Haleon in collaboration with Economist Impact.
The UAE is among the top five countries globally for person-centred healthcare and ranks second for inclusive health system implementation, while placing tenth globally in health literacy. Technological leadership was underscored in the 'State of Digital Transformation Report', where the UAE topped the global ranking in telecommunications infrastructure index, institutional framework for digital government, and digital content index.
Additionally, the UAE led the global 'Government AI Readiness Index 2024' by Oxford Insights, ranked third in government service delivery, and placed fourth in the GovTech Maturity Index according to the World Bank. The country ranked 11th in both the IMD's Digital Competitiveness Index and the UN E-Government Development Index.
Safety and business environment continue to bolster the country's international standing. The UAE was named the safest country globally in the mid-2025 Numbeo Safety Index, with a score of 85.2. Moreover, the UAE ranked first globally for the fourth consecutive year in the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Report 2024/2025, identifying 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 worldwide as a destination for FDI inflow, recording AED 167.6 billion ($45.6 billion) in 2024.
