UAE top in Mena, 9th globally in competitiveness

Dubai - The UAE ranked first globally in 23 indicators included in the report within its factors and sub-indicators.

In competiveness, the UAE ranks number one the Middle East and North Africa region and ninth globally for the fourth year in a row, according to the World Institute for Management Development (IMD).
The UAE maintained its position among the top ten competitive countries in the world in 2020, ahead of countries such as the US, Ireland, Finland, Luxembourg, Germany, and the UK, to be the only Arab country that succeeded in asserting itself in the "Big Ten Club" in the World Competitiveness Yearbook for four years in a row, since joining the top ten in 2017, despite the challenges of Covid-19 pandemic that influenced the 2020 edition, the Lausanne-based IMD said.
According to the IMD report, the UAE ranked first globally in 23 indicators and sub-factors, while it ranked among the top five globally in 59 indicators and in top ten globally in 106 indicators, out of 338 indicators covered by the report this year.
Another global competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum in 2019 ranked the UAE first in the Arab World and 25th globally. According to the report released in Davos, the UAE gained two positions since the last edition.
Abdullah Nasser Lootah, director general of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority said the UAE is moving forward with an ambitious strategy that anticipates the future, nurture a culture of excellence to be in the lead of world competitiveness at various levels in line with the UAE 2021 vision and in preparation for the golden jubilee.
"Thanks to the vision and guidance of the UAE's leadership, the country managed since 2017 to join the top 10 competitive countries in this report, and to consolidate its well-deserved position among the top ten globally in the overall ranking and regional leadership," said Lootah.
"The annual change in the ranking of the top ten countries in the yearbook reflects the intensity of the competition between the leading countries in recent years," said Hanan Mansoor Ahli, executive director, Competitiveness Sector.
The UAE ranked first globally in 23 indicators included in the report within its factors and sub-indicators. In addition, the UAE ranked first globally in the indicators: Absence of bureaucracy, immigration laws, redundancy costs, low central government foreign debt, tax evasion, collected personal income tax rate, collected indirect tax revenue rate, real personal taxes, and the percentage of females in the parliament, all of which are indicators included in the factor of the government efficiency and its sub-factors. 
- issacjohn@khaleejtimes.com