Read more: Mistrust in institutions is growing. How did the UAE buck the trend?
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said trust in the UAE government has been built over “50 years of legitimate work and achievement”.
His comments come after the release of the Edelman Trust in Government 2025 report, which ranked the UAE government third globally in terms of public trust. The report, the data for which was collated in New York, surveys more than 33,000 respondents in 28 countries and is in its 25th year.
The Emirates finished behind Saudi Arabia and China on the scale of how much the population trusts its government, finding 82 per cent of the UAE population trusts the government, more than any other organisation in the country.
“Trust was built over 50 years of legitimate work and achievement,” Sheikh Mohammed, also Vice President, wrote on X. “Today, under the leadership of my brother [President] Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, trust is strengthened, credibility is consolidated, and the people's support for their government and leadership is increasing to create the best development experience and the best standard of living for peoples worldwide.”
The UAE was first included in the Edelman Trust Barometer in 2010 and has consistently ranked among the most trusted nations surveyed. The 2025 report was released at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
On Thursday, the UAE made the top 10 on the Brand Finance Global Soft Power Index 2025. The Emirates was 10th, behind the US, China, the UK, Japan, Germany, France, Canada, Switzerland and Italy.
The UAE bucked a trend in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia (18th to 20th) and Qatar (21st to 22nd) dropping positions, in retaining 10th place. The Emirates also rose to second spot for being "easy to do business with".
The country "enjoys the highest levels of global trust throughout its history", Sheikh Mohammed wrote on X. "And uses the power of its development model as a tool for the good of humanity."
The index is based on a survey of about 170,000 respondents from more than 100 countries to gather data on global perceptions of all 193 UN member states. It defines soft power as a "nation's ability to influence the preferences and behaviours of various actors in the international arena (states, corporations, communities, publics, etc) through attraction or persuasion rather than coercion".
Each nation is scored across 55 criteria to arrive at an overall score out of 100 and ranked in order from 1st to 193rd.
