The UAE is the leading Arab Nation and boasts the world's second best economy according to an international league table of global knowledge.
The Emirates has risen three places to 15th in the Global Knowledge Index, which measured the performance of 138 nations in 2020.
The list, compiled by the United Nations Development Programme, was topped by Switzerland, the United States, Finland, Sweden, and the Netherland.
Luxembourg, Singapore, Denmark, the United Kingdom and Hong Kong made up the top ten.
Qatar ranked 39th, and Saudi Arabia was 42nd, one spot ahead of Bahrain.
The index was launched in 2017 along with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, and ranks knowledge based on higher education, pre-university education, technical and vocational training, information technology, research and innovation, economy, and the environment.
For the economy index, UAE ranked below only Singapore.
“Covering 138 countries and 199 indicators this year’s Global knowledge index is an instrument to guide policymakers, researchers, civil society, and the private sector as they nurture knowledge-based societies and bridge knowledge gaps," Achim Steiner, administrator at United Nations Development Programme, said.
"The overall results of the 2020 confirm an urgent and global need for increased investment in research, development, and innovation as a means to advance the frontiers of knowledge for sustainable development."
The report found that the UAE could improve in areas such as the female-male ratio in its labour force, labour regulations, renewable energy consumption, and carbon emissions.
For pre-university education, Finland came out on top while UAE was 10th.
"The index comes in the midst of a health crisis that has put the entire world on high alert, bringing nations together to work on the common goal of mitigating the effects of the pandemic," Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid, chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, said.
"This report will support world leaders as they work to prepare their people for the knowledge sector of the future, and equip them with the necessary skills to re-programme the development landscape and identify the skills needed to manoeuvre this new future."
