The UAE has been ranked among the most economically free jurisdictions in the Arab world, placing 46th out of 165 jurisdictions globally in the Economic Freedom of the World 2026 Annual Report published by the Fraser Institute, according to Khaleej Times. The annual benchmark evaluated jurisdictions based on 2024 data, awarding the UAE an overall economic freedom score of 7.42 out of 10.
Within the Arab world and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the UAE placed second behind Bahrain, which ranked 40th globally with a score of 7.49. Jordan followed the UAE in 50th position with a score of 7.38, while Saudi Arabia placed 60th worldwide with 7.17.
According to the report, the UAE achieved the Gulf region's strongest performance in two of the five evaluated areas. In legal systems and property rights, the UAE scored 7.08 and ranked 30th globally, outperforming Saudi Arabia at 47th and all other GCC states. In freedom to trade internationally, the UAE ranked 33rd globally with a score of 8.62, finishing ahead of Qatar.
In the index's other categories, the UAE placed 29th globally for regulation with a score of 7.23, and 76th globally for sound money with a score of 8.47.
Globally, Hong Kong retained first position with an overall score of 8.53, followed by Switzerland (8.45), Singapore (8.43), New Zealand (8.38), and the United States (8.21), while Venezuela ranked last. The report observed that global economic freedom remained below pre-pandemic levels, with an unweighted global average of 6.62 and a population-weighted average of 6.42 in 2024.
Sources
- Khaleej Times · 2026-10-12
