Today's Edition
A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has joined the world’s top 10 most digitally advanced nations for the first time, ranking ninth in the 2025 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, which assesses how countries adopt and explore digital technologies to transform government, business, and wider society.
According to the IMD report, this marks a historic milestone for the UAE, which climbed into the global top 10 by jumping two places from last year. “This achievement is a testament to its focused strategy on digital transformation,” the report said.
The top eight positions were dominated by advanced economies with deep investments in innovation and technology. Switzerland retained the top spot, followed by the United States in second and Singapore in third. Hong Kong SAR ranked fourth, Denmark fifth, the Netherlands sixth, Canada seventh, and Sweden eighth. The UAE came next at ninth.
The UAE scored 93.38 out of 100, while top-ranked Switzerland scored 100. The United States followed with 99.29, Singapore with 99.18, Hong Kong with 97.79, Denmark with 97.23, the Netherlands with 96.82, Canada with 96.19, and Sweden with 95.42.
The ranking, compiled by the IMD World Competitiveness Center in Lausanne, measures 69 economies across 61 indicators grouped under three main factors: Knowledge, Technology, and Future Readiness.
IMD noted that the UAE’s performance reflects “outstanding results in the Future Readiness (fifth) and Technology (sixth) factors.” The UAE’s key strength lies in its world-leading Talent sub-factor, where it ranks first globally, including first for the international experience of its managers, first for digital and technological skills, and second for attracting highly skilled foreign personnel. IMD said this ability to attract and retain global talent “is the foundation of the UAE’s digital economy.”
In the Technology factor, the UAE excelled in its Regulatory Framework (fourth) and Capital environment (ninth). Its business-friendly policies including immigration laws ranked second globally for promoting productivity and third for the development and application of technology. Additional strengths included top global ranking for public–private partnerships and fourth place for positive business attitudes toward globalisation.
