UAE tops global entrepreneurship rankings for fourth consecutive year

International index also recognises Emirates for its support of small and medium businesses

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report stated that the UAE 'maintains a strong entrepreneurial landscape'. Chris Whiteoak / The National

The UAE has retained the top spot in an international entrepreneurship league table for the fourth year in a row, outperforming major economies such as the US, the UK and South Korea.

The Emirates was recognised for cementing its status as a world-leading business hub in The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (Gem) Report 2024/25.

The country placed first in Gem's National Entrepreneurship Context Index, which measures the quality of a nation's entrepreneurial environment across 13 key indicators. The report also ranked the UAE as the best country for small and medium-sized enterprises, among the 56 economies assessed this year.

The report stated that the UAE “maintains a strong entrepreneurial landscape”, noting that it secured first place in 11 of the 13 categories. It found that the UAE excelled in areas such as entrepreneurial finance, ease of access to funding, commercial and professional infrastructure and its efforts to ease regulatory constraints on those seeking to do business in the country.

Government policies promoting entrepreneurship, including education programmes for young people, were also praised.

Alia Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, said the achievement was testament to the UAE's forward-looking strategy to build an integrated entrepreneurship and small and medium enterprise ecosystem, state news agency Wam reported. She said the top ranking demonstrated the “UAE’s commitment to providing an attractive and impactful entrepreneurship climate”.

Investing in the future

Alia Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, says Emiratis are at the heart of the country's bold business ambitions. Victor Besa / The National

Ms Al Mazrouei, who was appointed to her role in July, has said that Emiratis are at the heart of the country's bold business ambitions.

“Entrepreneurship in the UAE is a broad and inclusive concept,” said Ms Al Mazrouei. “It’s not confined to one definition, it encompasses everything. Whether you’re in agriculture, technology, or creative industries, you’re an entrepreneur. And it always starts with passion,” she told The National in December.

According to the Ministry of Economy, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) account for about 94 per cent of companies in the UAE and employ 86 per cent of the national workforce.

The UAE not only wants to develop its own entrepreneurs but remains committed to attracting the brightest business minds from around the world to invest in the country.

Under the Ministry of Economy's National Agenda for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, the country aims to be the world's leading entrepreneurial nation by 2031 and be home to 10 unicorn start-ups – private companies with a valuation exceeding $1 billion – by the same year.

Ms Al Mazrouei highlighted the transformative impact of a move to allow full foreign ownership of onshore companies, which came into force in June 2021. “After we introduced this policy, the number of business licences issued jumped from 600,000 to one million,” she said at the time.