The UAE’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reached AED 1.776 billion in 2024, recording a growth rate of 4% compared to 2023. The non-oil GDP grew by 5%, amounting to AED 1.342 billion, while oil-related sectors and activities contributed AED 434 billion.

His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy, stated that the GDP figures issued by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre (FCSC) for 2024 represent a new notable achievement for the national economy. Affirming the UAE’s key breakthroughs under the vision and directives of its wise leadership, in driving economic diversification and enhancing global competitiveness. By the end of last year, non-oil sectors accounted for 75.5% of the country’s total GDP.

His Excellency added that these indicators reflect the success of the UAE’s economic strategies and policies aimed at transitioning to an innovative, knowledge-based, and sustainable economic model, in line with emerging trends and advanced technologies.

H.E. further stated, “We continue to enhance our national efforts 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. These efforts support the economic targets of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which aims to raise the GDP to AED 3 trillion by the next decade and strengthen the UAE’s position as a global hub for the new economy, ensuring sustainable development, leadership, and international competitiveness.”

Her Excellency Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, affirmed that the 4% growth in the UAE’s GDP last year reflects the strong performance of the national economy, which is supported by a forward-looking vision focused on sustainable, non-oil-driven growth.

H.E. noted that the UAE’s leadership continues to build a pioneering and globally advanced economic model, where economic diversification remains a key pillar and catalyst for sustainable development, community prosperity, and continued national achievements. This approach helps ensure the sustainability of GDP growth and progress across various economic and development indicators.

Top Performing Economic Activities

In terms of the most dynamic economic sectors in 2024 compared to 2023, transport and storage sector led the way with a 9.6% growth, driven by strong performance in passenger traffic and flight operations across UAE airports, which handled 147.8 million travelers, reflecting an annual growth of nearly 10%.

The construction sector expanded by 8.4%, supported by substantial investment in urban infrastructure projects. Financial and insurance activities grew by 7%, while the hospitality sector, including restaurants and hotels, increased by 5.7%, and real estate activities rose by 4.8%.

Among non-oil economic activities, trade was the largest contributor to GDP, accounting for 16.8%, followed by manufacturing at 13.5%, financial and insurance activities at 13.2%, construction at 11.7%, and real estate at 7.8%.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, has chaired a Cabinet meeting held at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.
The meeting was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court; H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of Finance; H.H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of the Interior.
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said, “I chaired a Cabinet meeting at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi, where we reviewed the UAE’s performance in the 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking. The UAE ranked 5th globally, alongside the world’s leading countries in economic competitiveness, government efficiency, legislative strength, and business environment excellence. Sixteen years ago, we established a competitiveness center, uniting the efforts of key national entities. These efforts have elevated the UAE’s ranking from 28th globally in 2009 to being among the top five globally in competitiveness. In the same report, the UAE ranked 1st globally in the absence of bureaucracy index, 2nd globally in government policies adaptability index, and 4th globally in government efficiency index. This achievement is a testament to years of consistent effort. With the vision of my brother, Mohamed bin Zayed, our future will continue to be even brighter and stronger.”
The UAE Cabinet reviewed the 2025 Global Competitiveness Ranking results, published by the IMD World Competitiveness Center in Lausanne, Switzerland. This year, the UAE is ranked among the top five globally, scoring 96.09 out of 100 points. The country advanced two positions from last year, surpassing countries such as the United States, Sweden, Germany, and Canada, while maintaining its top ranking as the regional leader for the ninth consecutive year.
The report evaluates 69 countries based on four key areas: economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure. Its findings cover 341 competitiveness indicators across economic, administrative, and social fields.
The 2025 edition also introduced five new indicators: food waste, environmental performance, freely elected government, passport mobility, and media bias.
This year, the UAE made significant progress in the business efficiency pillar, rising seven spots to rank third globally. It also maintained a strong standing globally in economic performance and government efficiency, ranking second and fourth, respectively.
The UAE’s exceptional performance in key sectors contributed to its leadership in 113 global indicators across the report’s main and sub-pillars. The country ranked first globally in 22 indicators, including employment rate, absence of bureaucracy, availability of global expertise, digital transformation in companies, venture capital, inbound mobility of higher education students, public-private partnerships, energy infrastructure, and female parliamentary representation.
The UAE also ranked second globally in social cohesion, flexibility of residency laws, and government policy adaptability, while securing third globally in graduates in sciences, leverage of digital tools and technology, and healthcare infrastructure.

The United Arab Emirates delegation will participate in the upcoming 2025 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) at UN Headquarters in New York.
The delegation will showcase the UAE’s comprehensive development model, reaffirming its commitment to accelerate progress toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through multinational partnerships.
The UAE delegation will focus on five priority goals: Goal 3 – ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages; Goal 5 – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls; Goal 8 – promoting sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, productive employment, and decent opportunities for all; Goal 14 – conserving and sustainably using oceans, seas, and marine resources; and Goal 17 – strengthening global partnerships for sustainable development.
The UAE delegation includes members from the UAE’s National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Investment, The Government Experience Exchange Programme, Dubai Chamber of Commerce, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and Noor Dubai Foundation (under the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives), in coordination with the UAE’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.
His Excellency Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange and Chair of the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals, reaffirmed that UAE’s participation reflects its international commitment to advancing the 2030 SDGs in innovation, technology, and smart governance. He emphasized the importance of expanding global partnerships in knowledge and development exchange.
On the sidelines of HLPF, the UAE delegation is organizing a focused global retreat to discuss current challenges and explore future opportunities and a dedicated exhibition showcasing the UAE’s progress and achievements in accelerating the implementation of the SDGs both locally and globally. In addition, the delegation will highlight initiatives in clean energy, digital transformation, education, and healthcare.
As part of the preparations for the UAE’s participation, the National Committee on the SDGs held an extensive meeting to assess the readiness of the delegation and review progress on the implementation of the SDGs. The meeting explored opportunities to expand international cooperation and sign new agreements during the Forum.
Held under the “Reinforcing sustainable, inclusive, and evidence-based solutions to deliver the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, leaving no one behind”, the 2025 forum will run from 14 to 23 July 2025 with a total of 37 countries presenting their voluntary national reviews on the progress made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals to date.

On the first day of the 2025 United Nations High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) at UN Headquarters in New York, the UAE delegation emphasized the crucial role of advanced healthcare systems in accelerating achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally by 2030.
The delegation highlighted the UAE’s efforts to support Goal 3, ensuring good health and well-being, emphasizing the importance of innovation in healthcare systems’ development and deployment to achieve sustainable development worldwide.

The UAE provides the fundamentals for sustainable development
His Excellency Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange, and Chair of the National Committee on SDGs, affirmed that the UAE relies on fruitful partnerships and experience exchange principles in launching and implementing programs that make a positive development difference internationally, especially in communities most in need of support, such as those in the Global South.
Lootah stated: “The UAE is a trusted global supporter in accelerating the achievement of the UN SDGs for 2030. It is keen on implementing practical initiatives worldwide that have a continuous impact, providing sustainability for development and disseminating their benefits to the largest number of beneficiaries, including projects supporting the healthcare sector in developing communities.”
He added: “Investing in strategic projects with long-term extended impact in vital sectors that support achieving sustainable development such as health, knowledge, and awareness is a vital investment in people, the focal point of development, and in human capital, which creates opportunities for the future. This is the UAE’s approach to development locally and globally, which we are committed to sharing through partnerships, knowledge exchange, and expertise with everyone,” reiterating the strategic dimension’s importance to ensure sustainability of development project impacts for future generations.

Shaping the Future
From the platform of the exhibition ‘Shaping Tomorrow: UAE Leadership for a Sustainable Future,’ the UAE delegation presents a multi-faceted picture of the country’s contributions to achieving SDGs, including enhancing local and global healthcare systems. The exhibition introduces UAE’s global initiatives supporting sustainable development in vital areas, including innovative healthcare, policy design inclusive of all, and global transformative partnerships.

Focus on Healthcare
The healthcare sector and its developmental projects made a significant presence at the exhibition organized by the UAE in HLPF, highlighting progress and impact of its development initiatives for healthcare systems at the national level and in communities most in need of support and assistance. The exhibition also demonstrated the role of partnerships established by the UAE and entities within its delegation to the forum in accelerating development pathways, including fruitful healthcare work in awareness, prevention, and treatment.

Beyond 2030
The UAE’s delegation to the forum organized a high-impact roundtable session at the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations, presenting new visions for healthcare systems and their role in sustainable development beyond 2030.
The high-impact roundtable session, organized by the National Committee on SDGs; The Consulate General of the UAE in New York; and the Noor Dubai Foundation as part of the country’s delegation to the HLPF, focused on the importance of healthcare innovations, expanding their development and deployment to accelerate achieving Goal 3: ensuring global access to good health and well-being. The session also highlighted the link between achieving Goal 3 and several other development objectives, including Goal 1: ending poverty in all its forms everywhere and Goal 13: focusing on taking urgent action to combat climate change to achieve a healthy future for generations.
Participants in the session worked on developing preliminary models for comprehensive health development solutions contributing to achieving SDGs 2030 and beyond. The attendees recognized the role of primary healthcare networks supported by AI at the Noor Dubai Foundation, along with international tools and opportunities available for financing climate health solutions, in developing a comprehensive framework for current goals and future goals proposed by the UAE for 2045, focusing on multi-sectoral international cooperation.
The session concluded on the necessity of linking innovation to actual needs, collaboration in shared health and preventive responsibilities, and leveraging data as catalysts for action.

Sustainable Health Umbrella
Dr. Manal Omran Taryam, CEO and Board Member of the Noor Dubai Foundation, delivered the UAE’s statement at the forum on Goal 3 and its linkages with other goals. She said: “In the UAE, we believe that health is an inherent right, only completed by integrating all elements of healthcare under a unified, integrated, and sustainable umbrella.”

Dr. Manal Taryam added: “Technology and innovation are the core of the UAE’s approach to achieving sustainable development, where investment in telemedicine, AI, and smart screening tools contribute to removing geographic barriers and ensuring access to healthcare for all. We are proud of initiatives such as the Noor Dubai Foundation, one of the initiatives of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), which since 2008 has improved the lives of more than 33 million people in Asia and Africa through comprehensive teleophthalmology programs and innovative solutions such as ‘Ibsar’ project.”

HLPF on Sustainable Development 2025
The HLPF on Sustainable Development Forum represents the UN’s primary platform on sustainable development solutions. Since its establishment in 2012, the forum has played a pivotal role in monitoring and reviewing the progress made toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.