Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 17 of 18 · Country Index 2026
United Arab Emirates: Digital & Technology
How ready is a country to use, make and trade technology?
United Arab Emirates is placed 26th of 198 countries on digital & technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: GovTech Maturity Index 0.918 (2025); Government AI Readiness Index 69.86 (2025).
Share
Digital & Technology
26th
of 198 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
- 0.918GovTech Maturity Index, 2025GTMI score (0–1)
- 69.86Government AI Readiness Index, 2025AI readiness score (0–100)
- 1.897Government Cyber Security Capacity, 2025Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
- 27.7Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports, 2024Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place United Arab Emirates on digital & technology — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
0.918
GTMI score (0–1)
Higher is better
United Arab Emirates: 0.918. Across the 196 countries in this edition, values run from 0.01 (North Korea) to 0.997 (South Korea); the world median is 0.63.
- World median
- 0.63
- Best in Western Asia
- 0.996 Saudi Arabia
- Land neighbours
- Oman 0.854 · Saudi Arabia 0.996
69.86
AI readiness score (0–100)
Higher is better
Ranked 19th of 195 by Oxford Insights
United Arab Emirates: 69.86. Across the 195 countries in this edition, values run from 12.12 (Guinea-Bissau) to 88.36 (United States); the world median is 40.19.
- World median
- 40.19
- Best in Western Asia
- 71.57 Saudi Arabia
- Land neighbours
- Oman 56.29 · Saudi Arabia 71.57
Key 3 of 4
Government Cyber Security Capacity
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
1.897
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity
Higher is better
United Arab Emirates: 1.897. Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from -2.66 (Liberia) to 3.715 (Estonia); the world median is 0.196.
- World median
- 0.196
- Best in Western Asia
- 3.497 Israel
- Land neighbours
- Oman 0.201 · Saudi Arabia 1.76
Key 4 of 4
Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
27.7
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports)
Higher is better
United Arab Emirates: 27.7. Across the 170 countries in this edition, values run from 0.377 (Gambia) to 87.15 (Ireland); the world median is 25.42.
- World median
- 25.42
- Best in Western Asia
- 82.14 Israel
- Land neighbours
- Oman 12.85 · Saudi Arabia 7.429
02Over time
Which way United Arab Emirates is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Government AI Readiness Index
AI readiness score (0–100) · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates fell from 72.39 in 2020 to 69.86 in 2025; the world median went from 39.58 to 40.19.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2025 69.9 40.2 2024 75.7 43.3 2023 70.4 41.4 2022 68.5 40.3 2021 71.6 44.1 2020 72.4 39.6 Government Cyber Security Capacity
Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates rose from 1.573 in 2000 to 1.897 in 2025; the world median went from -0.514 to 0.196.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2025 1.9 0.20 2024 1.9 0.11 2023 2.5 0.14 2022 2.5 0.16 2021 2.5 0.12 2020 2.5 0.12 2019 2.5 0.10 2018 2.5 -0.05 2017 2.5 -0.08 2016 2.5 -0.10 2015 2.3 -0.17 2014 2.3 -0.21 2013 2.3 -0.21 2012 1.7 -0.25 2011 1.7 -0.32 2010 1.7 -0.31 2009 1.7 -0.50 2008 1.7 -0.51 2007 1.7 -0.51 2006 1.7 -0.55 2005 1.6 -0.55 2004 1.6 -0.55 2003 1.6 -0.55 2002 1.6 -0.51 2001 1.6 -0.51 2000 1.6 -0.51 Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports
Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates fell from 118.33 in 2010 to 27.7 in 2024; the world median went from 19.88 to 25.42.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2024 27.7 25.42 2023 29.7 26.03 2022 29.4 26.04 2021 36.0 29.80 2020 40.5 29.47 2019 32.4 18.36 2018 40.1 20.09 2017 41.8 18.32 2016 42.1 18.15 2015 43.1 19.57 2014 44.7 21.00 2013 96.4 20.50 2012 118.6 19.56 2011 128.1 19.21 2010 118.3 19.88
03In context
United Arab Emirates beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 198 countries on digital & technology, never a place within the region.
United Arab Emirates and the countries it borders
Standing among all 198; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | GovTech Maturity IndexGTMI score (0–1) | Government AI Readiness IndexAI readiness score (0–100) | Government Cyber Security CapacityOriginal latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.7); higher = more capacity | Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsDigitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 26th | 0.918 | 69.86 | 1.897 | 27.7 |
 Saudi Arabiacompare | 45th | 0.996 | 71.57 | 1.76 | 7.429 |
 Oman | 80th | 0.854 | 56.29 | 0.201 | 12.85 |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 198.
Placed either side on digital & technology
The countries immediately above and below United Arab Emirates in the topic’s list.
China=23rd
Ukraine=23rd
Latvia25th- United Arab Emirates26th
Qatar27th
Ireland=28th
Poland=28th
04Context, no vote
Where United Arab Emirates is ahead of the world, and behind
13 more statistics filed under digital & technology, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median4
Statistics on which United Arab Emirates does better than the middle country measured.
AI User Share of the Working-Age PopulationMicrosoft AI Economy Institute · 2026 · world median 15.4573.315.45No real change since 2025
United Arab Emirates: 73.3 · world median 15.45 · Generative-AI users (% of population aged 15–64). Microsoft AI Economy Institute, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 6.1 to 73.3; higher is better.
ICT Goods ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 0.9758.290.975▲ Improved since 2014
United Arab Emirates: 8.29 · world median 0.975 · ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 61.45; higher is better.
Position 18th of 119 · derived.
Frontier Technology Readiness IndexUNCTAD · 2023 · world median 0.4850.740.485▲ Improved since 2013
United Arab Emirates: 0.74 · world median 0.485 · Frontier Technology Readiness Index (0–1). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1; higher is better.
Position 35th of 170 · derived.
Primary Schools with Internet for TeachingUIS · 2024 · world median 98.6610098.66No real change since 2018
United Arab Emirates: 100 · world median 98.66 · Primary schools with internet access for teaching (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 100; higher is better.
Behind the world median4
Statistics on which United Arab Emirates does worse than the middle country measured.
Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic)V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median -0.114-0.455-0.114▲ Improved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: -0.455 · world median -0.114 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +3.2); higher = less disinformation. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.392 to 2.93; higher is better.
Position 103rd of 176 · derived.
ICT Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 7.4744.8627.474▼ Worsened since 2014
United Arab Emirates: 4.862 · world median 7.474 · ICT services exports (% of services exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 56.25; higher is better.
Position 78th of 118 · derived.
Government Internet ShutdownsV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.023-0.7241.023▲ Improved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: -0.724 · world median 1.023 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4 to +2); higher = fewer shutdowns. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.547 to 2.081; higher is better.
Position 135th of 176 · derived.
Government Social Media CensorshipV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 0.505-2.0750.505No real change since 2015
United Arab Emirates: -2.075 · world median 0.505 · Original latent estimate (≈ −4.5 to +2.4); higher = less censorship. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.721 to 2.295; higher is better.
Position 165th of 176 · derived.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Share of Graduates from ICT ProgrammesUIS · 2023 · world median 5.6017.8455.601No real change since 2018
United Arab Emirates: 7.845 · world median 5.601 · Tertiary graduates from ICT programmes (% of all graduates). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 17.19.
Anthropic AI Usage IndexAnthropic · 2026 · world median 0.962.840.96No earlier reading
United Arab Emirates: 2.84 · world median 0.96 · Claude usage index (1 = in proportion to working-age population). Anthropic, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0.07 to 6.4.
GitHub DevelopersGitHub · 2026 · world median 84,670656,18584,670Moved since 2020
United Arab Emirates: 656,185 · world median 84,670 · Developer accounts located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 110 to 32,410,529.
GitHub RepositoriesGitHub · 2026 · world median 141,4541,298,564141,454Moved since 2020
United Arab Emirates: 1,298,564 · world median 141,454 · Public repositories located in the economy (as of quarter end). GitHub, 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 142 to 77,284,974.
GitHub Git PushesGitHub · 2025 · world median 148,714707,998148,714Moved since 2020
United Arab Emirates: 707,998 · world median 148,714 · Git pushes during the quarter. GitHub, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1,967 to 40,768,192.
No current reading for United Arab Emirates
Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Firms Experiencing Internet Disruptions, Firms with Their Own Website, Internet Use Among Adults, Made or Received a Digital Payment (last 2021), Mobile Phone Ownership, Share of Firms' Payments Made Electronically and Smartphone Ownership. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Digital & Technology among United Arab Emirates’s 14 topics
Digital & Technology is United Arab Emirates’s 6th best-placed topic of 14. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Education & Knowledge1st of 1982/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequalityjoint 3rd of 1593/3 keys
- Work & Labour10th of 1824/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing13th of 2003/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade14th of 1774/4 keys
- Digital & Technology26th of 1984/4 keys
- Peace & Securityjoint 34th of 1773/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 37th of 1843/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions58th of 1944/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital64th of 1963/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience75th of 1934/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties148th of 1983/4 keys
- Gender & Equality143rd of 1832/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability173rd of 1863/4 keys
No standing on Economy & Innovation, Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on digital & technology
The three countries placed highest of 198, and the leaders United Arab Emirates can most readily be measured against.
=1
EstoniaNorthern Europe
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 ee, greyscale
=1
South KoreaEastern Asia
Joint 1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
3
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
3rd of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
South Korea=1st4/4 keysHighest in Western Asia
Israel13th4/4 keysThis page
United Arab Emirates26th4/4 keys
Positions out of 198 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
United Arab Emirates on digital & technology: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does United Arab Emirates rank on digital & technology?
United Arab Emirates is placed 26th of 198 countries on Digital & Technology in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (GovTech Maturity Index, Government AI Readiness Index, Government Cyber Security Capacity and Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest GovTech Maturity Index figure for United Arab Emirates?
0.918 in 2025 (gTMI score (0–1)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 0.63.
What is the latest Government AI Readiness Index figure for United Arab Emirates?
69.86 in 2025 (aI readiness score (0–100)), according to Oxford Insights. The world median in the same edition was 40.19.
How does United Arab Emirates compare with Saudi Arabia on digital & technology?
Saudi Arabia is placed 45th of 198, and United Arab Emirates 26th. GovTech Maturity Index: Saudi Arabia 0.996, United Arab Emirates 0.918; Government AI Readiness Index: Saudi Arabia 71.57, United Arab Emirates 69.86; Government Cyber Security Capacity: Saudi Arabia 1.76, United Arab Emirates 1.897; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports: Saudi Arabia 7.429, United Arab Emirates 27.7.
How have United Arab Emirates’s digital & technology figures changed?
Government AI Readiness Index fell from 72.39 in 2020 to 69.86 in 2025; Government Cyber Security Capacity rose from 1.573 in 2000 to 1.897 in 2025; Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports fell from 118.33 in 2010 to 27.7 in 2024.
Which digital & technology statistics are missing for United Arab Emirates?
No current reading is published for United Arab Emirates on Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Firms Experiencing Internet Disruptions, Firms with Their Own Website, Internet Use Among Adults, Made or Received a Digital Payment, Mobile Phone Ownership, Share of Firms' Payments Made Electronically and Smartphone Ownership. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Broadband and mobile subscriptions, connection speeds and the cost of getting online are absent, for the licence reason above; internet use and phone ownership, from the World Bank’s own household survey, and firms’ websites and internet disruptions, from its Enterprise Surveys, are published here as context. The ICT share of goods exports votes under Mobility & Trade. Digital public services and data-protection law are not held yet. Research and development spending is filed under Education & Knowledge, and what an economy knows how to make is under Economy & Innovation.
How the Digital & Technology standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The digital & technology method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- GovTech Maturity Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Government AI Readiness Index — Oxford Insights, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Government Cyber Security Capacity — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Digitally-Deliverable Services Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 13 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
United Arab Emirates’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- United Arab Emirates (banner) — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Estonia — Andrus Uuetalu derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0 ee
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). United Arab Emirates: Digital & Technology — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/digital