The United Arab Emirates has cemented its position among the world's most efficient and effective governments, becoming a global model in modern administration and governance. This has been crowned by qualitative achievements reflected in international reports and indicators, with the country ranked 4th globally in the Government Efficiency Index of the IMD World Competitiveness Report 2026, issued by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. The achievement reflects a long journey of institutional development, digital transformation, investment in human capital, and sound governance.
The country's indicators in this report reveal that the UAE's government development journey is not a passing moment or a temporary achievement, but a real embodiment of a sustainable national project built on innovation, competitiveness, and foresight. This translates the approach and tireless efforts of the UAE government in its continuous pursuit of advanced global rankings year after year, culminating in 4th place worldwide in government efficiency — one of the most prominent government success stories in the world.
This achievement is not born of the moment, but is the fruit of an integrated government approach rooted in far-sighted vision and proactive planning that began years ago, built on anticipating the future, developing government services, and transforming them into proactive, digital, user-centric services.
Government indicators show that the UAE ranked 1st globally in 223 international indicators during 2024, compared with 215 indicators in 2023. It also ranked among the top 5 countries worldwide in 444 indicators, and among the top 10 countries in 661 indicators, reflecting the ever-widening scope of UAE government excellence year after year.
Digital transformation
Driven by the UAE government's belief that digital transformation is a key driver of government efficiency and one of the most prominent factors contributing to it, and since the launch of the Digital Government Strategy 2025, the country set clear targets to transform government services into integrated and seamless digital services. The most prominent targets include: digitising 100% of government services in an integrated manner; providing a fully digital option for services requiring in-person verification or manual signature; completing 85% of government transactions digitally end-to-end; and achieving a satisfaction rate of no less than 90% for digital government services. The strategy rests on 8 main pillars, including proactive government, data reliance, digital service design, inclusiveness, flexibility, and openness — ensuring the sustainability of government development and keeping pace with global changes.
Resource management
The UAE's government development encompasses all aspects and has not been limited to digital services alone, but has extended to managing public financial resources with high efficiency. In 2025, the UAE advanced 27 places in a single leap in the Government Subsidies Index issued by the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland, reaching 16th place globally, compared with 43rd place in 2024. This reflects the efficiency of government expenditure management and the channelling of resources towards priority development sectors.
These results reflect a balanced fiscal policy: the federal government approved a 2025 budget of 71.5 billion dirhams (AED), an increase of approximately 12% over the previous year's estimates, with around 40% of spending allocated to social development, education, health, and pension sectors, supporting quality of life and societal stability.
Agile government
What distinguishes the efficiency of the UAE government is that it has been directly reflected in the country's economic performance. The national economy has maintained strong growth rates supported by flexible government policies and a legislative environment attractive to investment. Central Bank estimates point to GDP growth of 4.9% during 2025, with the non-oil sector accounting for more than 77% of the national economy, reflecting the success of the economic diversification policies adopted by the government in recent years.
The government's business-enabling environment has reinforced the UAE's standing as a global hub for investment and entrepreneurship, with the country topping numerous indicators related to attracting foreign investment, innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic competitiveness.
Artificial intelligence
Today, the UAE is moving to a more advanced stage of government transformation by employing artificial intelligence in service design and decision-making. Government entities are developing operational models based on intelligent data analysis, automation, and the delivery of proactive services — reducing processing times and raising public sector productivity. This direction is evident through the accelerating government initiatives to adopt AI technologies, develop digital infrastructure, and build national capabilities in modern technical fields, enhancing government readiness for future requirements.
Global model
The UAE stands out with a global governance model. The successive international results demonstrate the strength of the UAE's experience, which is no longer confined to achieving advanced positions in global rankings, but has become a world model in governance and the ability to translate strategic visions into tangible results. The UAE government has succeeded in combining speed of achievement, efficiency of resource management, quality of services, and investment in technology, while maintaining high flexibility in dealing with global economic changes.
Today, with the continued implementation of national strategies related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and sustainable development, the UAE appears to be in a stronger position to continue its advance in global government efficiency indicators and to reinforce its standing among the world's most developed governments with the greatest capacity to shape the future.