The UAE has climbed five places to 25th among 139 economies in the World Intellectual Property Organisation's Global Innovation Index 2026, up from 30th in 2025.
The country ranked first globally on four indicators: entrepreneurship policies and culture, attraction of international students, startup and scale-up funding, and new investment in R&D and advanced technologies. It beat the regional average across all seven pillars and outperformed the high-income average in five, including institutions, human capital and infrastructure.
The UAE placed 12th in the Innovation Input Index, up two spots, and rose five places on outputs. UAE-based brands in the global top 5,000 were valued at around USD 101.66 billion, up 15%, while apps from UAE developers logged roughly 2.91 billion downloads in 2025.
High-tech exports reached about USD 68.05 billion in 2024, a 36.35% annual jump. Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri tied the result to the We the UAE 2031 vision.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer