UAE enters world's top 25 in WIPO Global Innovation Index for first time
In short
The UAE ranked 25th among 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization, up five places from 30th in 2025 and its first time inside the top 25. The country placed first globally in four indicators: entrepreneurship policies and culture, attracting international students, financing for start-ups and scale-ups, and new investment in research and development and advanced technologies. Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said the rise reflected institutional, human and technological capabilities and investment in knowledge and technology.
Why it matters
The ranking is an official index compiled by a UN agency, so it gives the UAE a comparable external measure of its innovation and knowledge-economy ambitions. The 2026 edition spotlights artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, semiconductors and clean energy, sectors the government has tied to its long-term economic plans. For readers outside the country the news is a data point on how Gulf economies are positioning themselves amid uneven global growth and tighter venture capital markets, as the index itself notes.
Key facts
- The UAE ranked 25th among 139 economies in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, up five places from 30th in 2025. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- It is the first time the UAE has entered the index's top 25. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The index is compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organization. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The UAE ranked first globally in four indicators: entrepreneurship policies and culture, attracting international students, financing for start-ups and scale-ups, and new investment in research and development and advanced technologies. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The 2026 edition focuses on enabling entrepreneurs in advanced science and technology to turn discoveries into scalable businesses, with emphasis on artificial intelligence, biotechnology, advanced materials, semiconductors and clean energy. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said the rise reflected the country's institutional, human and technological capabilities and continued investment in knowledge and technology. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The minister said the progress showed the UAE's ability to turn investment and innovation capabilities into tangible economic and knowledge-based outcomes, supporting its 2031 vision. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Gulf News and Emirates 24|7 both indicate the UAE also scored highly in technology exports and creative outputs, but their readable text was cut off before the figures. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The UAE placed 25th in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, up from 30th in 2025, according to three outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- This is the first time the UAE has entered the index's top 25. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The index is published by the World Intellectual Property Organization and covers 139 economies. [ 1 , 2 ]
- The UAE ranked first globally in four indicators: entrepreneurship policies and culture, attracting international students, financing for start-ups and scale-ups, and new investment in research and development and advanced technologies. [ 1 , 2 ]
- An official source, Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, commented on the result. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- How the UAE performed in the remaining indicators of the 2026 index. Gulf News and Emirates 24|7 both begin sections on technology exports and creative outputs but their readable text ends there, so no figures or ranks are available.
- The exact release date of the 2026 Global Innovation Index. The documents give the year of the index and their own publication dates, but not the date the index was published.
- The spelling of the minister's first name and the exact name of the 2031 national vision. Gulf News writes “Abdulla” and “We the UAE 2031”, while Emirates 24|7 writes “Abdullah” and “UAE Vision 2031”; the documents do not resolve the difference.
- What Forbes Middle East based its shorter report on. The Forbes Middle East document is a summary that repeats the top-25 ranking and mentions gains in entrepreneurship, research, technology and high-tech exports without further detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Gulf News reports the UAE entered the world's 25 most innovative economies for the first time, ranking 25th of 139 in the 2026 Global Innovation Index, up from 30th in 2025. [ 1 ]
- Emirates 24|7 reports the same ranking and quotes Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdullah bin Touq Al Marri on the five-place advance. [ 2 ]
- Forbes Middle East reports the UAE's first entry into the index's top 25, citing stronger performance across entrepreneurship, research, technology and high-tech exports. [ 3 ]