06/10/2026 05:44 AST
The UAE has entered the world's top 25 innovation economies for the first time, climbing five places to 25th out of 139 economies in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2026, published by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (Wipo).
The country was ranked 30th in 2025. It also ranked first globally in four indicators measuring innovation strengths: entrepreneurship policies and culture; attraction of international students; funding for startups and scale-ups; and new investments in research, development and advanced technologies.
The GII 2026 measures the innovation performance of 139 economies. This year's edition focuses on empowering entrepreneurs in advanced science and technology sectors and turning scientific discoveries into scalable ventures with broad economic impact. It highlights applications in artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, semiconductors and clean energy, and tracks how innovation ecosystems are evolving amid global shifts, uneven growth and pressures on venture capital markets.
The UAE outperformed the average for high-income economies in five of the index's pillars, including institutions, human capital and infrastructure, and exceeded the regional average across all seven pillars.
Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri, UAE's Minister of Economy, said the ranking reflected the country's robust institutional, human and technological capabilities.
"The UAE has made significant strides in fostering an environment that stimulates innovation across the economy and business sectors. Grounded in best practices, this approach has bolstered the national economy's competitiveness and cemented the country's status as a hub for creators and innovators from around the globe," he said.
He added that the progress underscored the success of the UAE's vision to turn investments and innovative capabilities into tangible economic and knowledge-based outcomes, in line with the "We the UAE 2031" vision.
The UAE ranked among the top eight economies globally in six sub-categories:
First in higher education
Second in business environment
fifth in both general infrastructure and knowledge absorption
seventh in ICT
Eighth in credit
The country placed 12th globally in the Innovation Input Index, up two places from last year, and rose five places in Innovation Output.
Strong showing
The UAE also ranked highly on several indicators of creative and technological outputs and knowledge diffusion. It placed sixth globally in brand value among the world's top 5,000 brands, seventh in mobile application creation, ninth in creative goods exports, 13th in high-tech exports, and 19th in intellectual property receipts as a percentage of total trade.
According to the index, UAE-based brands among the world's top 5,000 were valued at about $101.66 billion in 2026, up 15 per cent from 2025.
Apps from UAE-based developers and companies logged around 2.91 billion global downloads in 2025, a rise of 9.81 per cent from 2024. While high-tech exports reached about $68.05 billion in 2024, up 36.35 per cent from 2023.
Khaleej Times
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