UAE Maintains Global Competitiveness Momentum with Top Rankings in 2024
Abu Dhabi, The Gulf Observer: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has solidified its position as a global leader in competitiveness, achieving remarkable milestones in international reports throughout 2024. This success reflects the UAE’s visionary leadership, strategic initiatives, and unwavering focus on human development as the cornerstone of its progress.
The UAE secured first place globally in 223 indicators in 2024, up from 215 in 2023, while ranking among the top five countries in 444 indicators, compared to 406 last year. Additionally, it earned a place in the top 10 globally across 661 indicators, marking significant growth from 604 in 2023 and 508 in 2022.
The nation’s advancement stems from its modernization of the legislative framework, proactive economic initiatives, emphasis on technological advancements, and continuous efforts to enhance the quality of life for all citizens and residents.
In the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, the UAE climbed three places to secure the seventh position globally, following its entry into the top 10 last year. The UAE excelled across key report dimensions, ranking second globally in economic performance, fourth in government efficiency, and tenth in business environment efficiency. The country topped over 90 competitiveness indicators across main and sub-factors in the report.
The UAE’s performance in the 2023/2024 Human Development Index by the United Nations Development Programme was equally notable. It ranked first regionally and 17th globally out of 193 countries.
For the third consecutive year, the UAE led the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2023/2024 report, achieving a record high score of 7.7. Similarly, in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 by the World Economic Forum, the UAE ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 18th globally.
The UAE excelled in infrastructure and transportation indicators, achieving:
- Fifth globally and first in the Arab world in road quality.
- Tenth globally and second in the Arab world for public transport efficiency.
- Ninth globally and first in the Arab world in port services efficiency.
In the civil aviation sector, the UAE maintained its global leadership, ranking first in the Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure Index within the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024. It also secured third place globally for air transport efficiency and the number of seats for weekly international departures per kilometre.
The UAE’s position as a hub for foreign investments was underscored in the UNCTAD 2024 report. The UAE ranked second globally, after the United States, in the number of new foreign direct investment (FDI) projects, recording 1,323 new projects in 2023—a growth of 33% compared to the previous year. The country also recorded FDI inflows of $30.688 billion (AED 112.6 billion) and total foreign investments of $262.208 billion (AED 962 billion) by the end of 2023.
In the area of digital transformation, the UAE excelled in the United Nations E-Government Survey 2024, ranking first globally in the ICT Infrastructure Index with a perfect score of 100%. It also advanced significantly in the Human Capital Index, climbing 34 positions from 44th to 10th place, and ranking first in Asia and the Arab world.
Additionally, the UAE achieved fifth place globally in the Quality Infrastructure Index for Sustainable Development 2024, issued by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), within the GDP category of $100 billion to $1 trillion.
The UAE’s continued rise across global competitiveness indicators underscores its role as a pioneering nation in economic, technological, and infrastructural excellence, driven by its forward-thinking leadership and commitment to sustainable development.
