The Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC) in the UAE government has launched a new strategic partnership with the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The partnership was formalized during the UAE delegation’s participation in the Saudi Statistics Forum 2025 which aims to strengthen institutional collaboration in the field of statistics and data. The key goals include sharing best practices, enhancing the quality of national data in accordance with international standards, and supporting decision-makers with reliable data that informs policy and benefits society.

The MoU was signed in the presence of His Excellency Nahyan Bin Saif Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, UAE Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Signing parties included Her Excellency Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, and His Excellency Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Dosari, President of the General Authority for Statistics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Nahyan bin Saif: Cooperation Reflects Deep Relations and Emphasizes Support for Sustainable Development

His Excellency Nahyan Bin Saif Bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, affirmed that the partnership reflects deep fraternal relations between the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It underscores the commitment of both countries to strengthen cooperation in vital areas contributing to sustainable development and future vision based on innovation and data.

Hanan Ahli: Strengthening Regional Leadership in Data-Driven Development

Her Excellency Hanan Mansour Ahli stated, “The cooperation represents a significant step towards strengthening regional leadership in data-driven development, reflecting our joint commitment to promoting statistical excellence, enhancing innovation, and building a future where development relies on the power of data to serve our nations, region, and the world.”

Fahad Abdullah Al-Dosari: Supporting Experience Exchange in Statistical Work Areas

His Excellency Dr. Fahad bin Abdullah Al-Dosari, President of the General Authority for Statistics in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, emphasized the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation between statistical institutions in areas of knowledge exchange, experiences and success stories.

Dr. Fahad Al-Dosari also stated “We are pleased to sign this MoU, which will strengthen the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and best practices between our two institutions, advancing the region’s statistical capabilities and cooperation.”

International Statistical Methodologies and Practices Session

As part of the UAE delegation’s participation in the accompanying events of the Saudi Statistics Forum, H.E. Hanan Ahli participated in a panel discussion titled “International Statistical Methodologies and Practices,” highlighting the importance of statistical governance mechanisms amid the rapid transformations in the world of data.

Hanan Ahli highlighted the need for innovative governance models that ensure coordination between government and private entities, protect data integrity, and guarantee its quality and accessibility. She emphasized the UAE’s proactive approach, reflected in initiatives such as the “Data Index,” which empowers government entities to lead in data quality and governance. This approach enhances the UAE’s leadership role in the international statistical community, particularly as a member of the UN Statistical Commission for the 2025–2028 term.

H.E. further showcased the model of statistical governance in the UAE under its federal system, represented by the ‘Data Index’ initiative, one of the most important national initiatives aimed at enhancing the quality of government data. The initiative focuses on empowering government entities rather than merely fulfilling their role as a primary data source for statistical entities. This underscores the importance of governance as a fundamental element in the success of coordination frameworks between various federal and local entities, supporting the provision of timely and accurate data directly benefiting decision-makers.

Knowledge Visit

The UAE delegation concluded its visit with a tour of the General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT) headquarters, where they explored best practices in statistical governance, data analytics, and the integration of advanced technologies such as AI and machine learning in policymaking. The visit showed Saudi Arabia’s progress in digital transformation.​

The UAE has maintained its leading regional position among countries with “very high human development” advancing 11 places globally, according to the 2025 Human Development Index (HDI) report issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), compared to the 2021/2022 report.

The UAE now ranks 15th globally out of 193 countries covered in the report, surpassing countries such as Canada, the United States, Japan, Australia, and Korea. It is the only Arab country among the top 20 nations, reaffirming its commitment to a development vision that prioritizes people’s wellbeing at the heart of its national policies. This is achieved through an integrated approach that supports key sectors such as health, education, and standard of living, establishing the UAE as a global model for sustainability, human capital development, and inclusive progress, building a future based on opportunities and empowerment.

According to this year’s report titled “A matter of choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI,” the UAE achieved a score of 0.94. Based on the report’s four main indicators, the UAE’s life expectancy at birth reached 82.9 years, aligning with the third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) “good health and well-being”. The expected years of schooling reached 15.6 years, with an average of 13 years of schooling, reflecting the fourth SDG goal “quality education”. The Gross National Income (GNI) per capita amounted to $71,142, reflecting to the eighth SDG goal “decent work and economic growth”.

AbdulRahman Al Owais: People’s Health at the Core of UAE’s Development Priorities

His Excellency AbdulRahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention, stated that people’s health is at the core of the UAE’s development priorities. He emphasized, “The UAE’s leading position in the 2025 Human Development Index reflects our steadfast commitment to providing an integrated healthcare system, adopting medical innovation, enhancing prevention, and ensuring access to high-quality healthcare services, achieving the UAE’s vision of building a healthy and sustainable future for generations.”

Sarah Al Amiri: Investing in Education is Investing in Humanity

For her part, Her Excellency Sarah bint Yousef Al Amiri, Minister of Education, said, “Investing in education is investing in humanity a principle the UAE has upheld since its founding, through flexible educational policies that address global challenges and prepare future generations to compete and innovate. The UAE does not adopt a conventional educational system but invests in thoughtful Emirati minds armed with knowledge, qualified to lead a flourishing future in the era of AI and cognitive transformation.”

Hanan Ahli: Human-Centric Plans and Policies

Her Excellency Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC), stated that the UAE has established a unique development model that places people at the center of all plans and policies, relying on healthcare, education, and innovation as pillars for a prosperous and comprehensive future. She pointed out that progress in the HDI report affirms that the UAE’s development policies are proactive and data-driven, prioritizing not only economic growth but also wellbeing, enhancing its position as a global leader in sustainable development.

UAE Ranks Third Globally for Net AI Talent Migration The HDI Report highlighted AI tools and their growing impact on human development pathways, amidst slowing development progress and widening gaps between high and low-development countries. It emphasized the need for adaptive, human-focused policies that place health, education, and standard of living at the core of national strategies, recognizing human capital as the key to navigating the digital transformation era.

The report further showed that the UAE recorded the third highest global net migration rate through the LinkedIn platform for AI skills in 2023, underscoring its ability to attract world-class expertise and its status as a global hub for future skills. It further clarified that high-income countries like the UAE achieve net gains in specialized skills, while low to medium-income countries face losses, indicating the dominance of advanced economies in attracting and retaining expertise. It calls for building a collaborative economy where humans and AI work in tandem, focusing on empowering individuals with knowledge and technology to enhance their capabilities and skills, ensuring comprehensive, sustainable development and a prosperous future for all.

The HDI Report has been published annually by the UNDP since 1990, the Human Development Index is a composite measure that evaluates the quality of life in societies worldwide through three main dimensions: health, education, and standard of living, including four indicators: life expectancy at birth, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling, and Gross National Income per capita.​

The UAE has achieved a new qualitative milestone that reflects its global leadership in adopting the principles of digital government and open data. The country ranked 10th globally in the 2024/2025 Open Data Inventory (ODIN) report, issued by Open Data Watch (ODW), surpassing major countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and the United States. The report, released biennially by ODIN, evaluates the comprehensiveness and openness of data published on the national statistical offices’ websites in 197 countries, covering vital sectors including economic, financial, social, and environmental statistics, making it one of the leading specialized global reports.

The report ranks countries based on 64 indicators that measure the availability and accessibility of statistical data shared through official open data platforms. It assesses whether countries meet international standards of openness, including criteria such as machine-readability without restrictions, availability of descriptive metadata, and broad geographic coverage.

The UAE ranked first globally in several indicators, including Money and Banking, Food Security and Nutrition, and the Price Index and Inflation, in which the country advanced 45 places. The UAE also ranked second globally in International Trade and Education Outcomes, with a notable leap of 54 places, in addition to strong performance in indicators related to environment, health, and gender statistics.

Majed Al Mesmar: UAE Enhances its Position as a Global Knowledge-Based Decision-Making Platform

His Excellency Engineer Majed Sultan Al Mesmar, Director General of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), said: “This achievement reaffirms the UAE’s commitment to an ambitious futuristic vision integrating digital policies with comprehensive development efforts, by establishing a robust digital infrastructure based on open data as a tool for community empowerment, enhancing global competitiveness, and fostering an innovation culture built on data.” He added that the UAE strengthens its position as a global platform for knowledge-based decision-making and a leader in comprehensive digital transformation regionally and globally. This achievement also reflects the empowering role played by TDRA in strengthening the country’s digital readiness through developing legislative and regulatory frameworks, supporting national policies on open data, and providing digital infrastructure to ensure integration among government entities, solidifying the UAE position as a global reference in adopting concepts of digital government, transparency, and data-driven innovation.

Hanan Ahli: UAE’s Progress Embodies a Leading Model for the Government of the Future

Her Excellency Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC), affirmed that the UAE’s progress in the ODIN Report 2024/2025 embodies a pioneering model for the government of the future, based on transparency, openness, and utilizing data as a strategic tool to drive comprehensive development.

She stated, “This achievement represents the foresighted vision of the UAE and continuous investment in building a flexible and advanced statistical system based on digital readiness, contributing to strengthening the country’s global competitiveness, supporting key directions in enhancing integration between government entities, contributing to future planning in various vital sectors, policy development, enhancing community participation, and solidifying the UAE’s position as a leading model in adopting concepts of digital government and open data.”

Open Data

Open data refers to publicly accessible data and statistics that can be used, reused, distributed, and shared freely by individuals and organizations. Governments worldwide provide such data online without restrictions to access. In the current report, the UAE scored 92 points for openness and 74 points in data coverage, resulting in an overall score of 84 points in the report.

H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri: Under the wise leadership’s vision, the UAE has built an innovative economic model based on global best practices. The continuous growth of the national economy reflects the success of the UAE’s economic diversification policies.
We remain committed to achieving the goals of “We the UAE 2031”, aiming to expand the UAE’s GDP to AED 3 trillion by the next decade and securing the UAE’s position as a global hub for new economy.

Hanan Ahli: The UAE’s robust economic performance is backed by a clear future-oriented vision focused on sustainable economic growth.

Additional Subtitles:

• UAE’s real GDP reaches AED 1.322 trillion
• Non-oil GDP reaches AED 987 billion
• Contribution of non-oil sectors to real GDP is 74.6%
• Top-growing sectors: Transport, construction, finance, government, and hospitality​
• Leading contributors to non-oil GDP: Trade, manufacturing, finance, construction, and real estate
• Nominal GDP reaches AED 1.486 trillion (6% growth)
• Nominal non-oil GDP reaches AED 1.136 trillion (6.6% growth)

The UAE has recorded significant growth in its real GDP by 3.8%, reaching AED 1.322 trillion in the first nine months of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. Meanwhile, non-oil GDP expanded by 4.5% to AED 987 billion, accounting for 74.6% of total real GDP, while oil-related activities accounted for 25.4%.

Commenting on this performance, H.E. Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, emphasized that the UAE’s sustained economic growth is a testament to the success of its policies and strategies aimed at enhancing economic diversification, streamlining business operations, and driving the expansion of new economy sectors as key drivers of sustainable economic and social development. He highlighted that, under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, the UAE has built an agile and globally competitive economic model capable of adapting to global challenges and rapid changes.

“The UAE continues to increase the contribution of non-oil sectors to the national economy by developing flexible economic legislation, enhancing global trade openness, and building strategic partnerships with key international markets. These efforts align with the “We the UAE 2031” vision, which aims to grow the UAE’s GDP to AED 3 trillion within the next decade and secure its position as a global economic hub,” H.E. bin Touq added.

Hanan Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, stated: “The UAE’s GDP growth over the past nine months reflects our strong economic performance and future-driven vision focused on sustainable economic expansion, led by non-oil sectors.”

“Economic diversification remains a key pillar of the UAE national strategy, ensuring long-term growth in the economy and in key economic and development indicators,” she emphasized.

Top-Growing Economic Sectors

During the first nine months of 2024, the UAE’s fastest-growing economic sectors showcased remarkable expansion compared to the same period in 2023. The transport and storage sector experienced a significant growth of 7.9%, largely driven by a surge in passenger traffic at UAE airports, which welcomed over 103 million travelers, marking a 20% increase. Similarly, the construction and building sector expanded by 7.4%, fueled by substantial investments in large-scale urban infrastructure projects. The financial and insurance sector also saw steady growth, rising by 6.8%, while government activities expanded by 5.0%. Additionally, the hospitality and restaurant sector recorded a 4.9% increase, reflecting the continued momentum in the tourism industry.

When examining the key contributors to non-oil GDP, trade emerged as the largest sector, accounting for 16.5% of total non-oil economic output. Following closely behind, manufacturing contributed 15.1%, underscoring the UAE’s industrial strength. The financial and insurance sector played a crucial role, making up 12.1% of non-oil GDP, while construction and building activities contributed 11.7%, and the real estate accounted for 7.6%.

Overall, the UAE’s nominal GDP reached AED 1.486 trillion during the first nine months of 2024, reflecting an impressive 6% year-on-year growth. The nominal non-oil GDP also grew significantly, reaching AED 1.136 trillion, with a 6.6% increase. Notably, non-oil sectors contributed 76.5% to the total GDP, further highlighting the UAE’s progress in economic diversification and sustainable growth.