UAE among the world’s top 10 countries in digital performance

Dubai: The UAE has strengthened its global position as a digital leader, ranking ninth worldwide in the World Digital Competitiveness Report 2025 issued by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland. 

The result places the UAE among the world’s top ten countries in digital performance and confirms its regional leadership, surpassing several advanced economies and reaffirming its ability to keep pace with rapid technological change and build an integrated digital development model founded on innovation, artificial intelligence, and human capital.

According to the report, the UAE ranked first globally in eight indicators, including internet penetration, broadband expansion, and digital skills. It also placed among the top five countries in fifteen indicators, and within the top ten globally in twenty-two indicators. 

The country also ranked fifth globally in the “future readiness” pillar, which highlights its advanced preparedness to adopt emerging technologies; sixth globally in the “technology” pillar, supported by a robust digital infrastructure and extensive investments; and twelfth globally in the “knowledge” pillar.

Speaking on the occasion, Majid Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General, Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), said: “Achieving ninth globally in the digital-competitiveness index for 2025 epitomises the efficiency of our digital ecosystem and the maturity of our technological infrastructure, both at the governmental and economic levels. It reinforces our status as a global model for building an integrated, resilient and secure digital architecture that can accelerate innovation and enhance the competitiveness of our national economy.”

He added that the achievement is the fruit of “an integrated institutional collaboration between government and private sectors, working in unison to raise digital-performance levels and embed sustainability in this journey of evolution.”

The IMD report highlighted the UAE’s consistent upward trajectory, rising from 18th place in 2017 to ninth in 2025, showcasing the maturity of its digital environment and the forward-thinking nature of its government policies. The UAE also maintained its position as the only country in the region ranked among the world’s top ten in digital competitiveness.

Despite global economic and geopolitical shifts, the UAE has maintained strong digital momentum, reinforcing its status among the world’s most open and innovation-driven economies. 

The report also included data for the first time on artificial intelligence patents and private investments in AI, where the UAE achieved regional leadership, aligning with the country’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and its vision for an advanced knowledge economy.