The UAE has appeared tenth in a ranking of national competitiveness based on factors such as openness and productivity.
Beating developed markets such as Germany and the UK, the UAE was the highest-ranked country in the Middle East. In last year’s ranking, the UAE was 15th.
The assessment was produced by a department of the IMD Business School in Switzerland, which has published rankings every year since 1989. Professor Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center, said improvements in government and business efficiency helped several countries make large gains in the list.
“These countries have maintained a business-friendly environment that encourages openness and productivity,” he said.
The UAE was the highest-ranked Middle Eastern country. The two other countries in the region to feature were Qatar in 17th place and Saudi Arabia in 36th.
The team at IMD compiled the ranking based on 261 indicators including national trade and employment statistics and responses to a survey of business executives about issues such as corruption, environmental concerns and quality of life. There were 63 countries in this year’s ranking.
The full report is available on IMD’s website.
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