Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 12 of 18 · Country Index 2026
United Arab Emirates: Mobility & Trade
How connected is a country to the rest of the world?
United Arab Emirates is placed 14th of 177 countries on mobility & trade in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Liner Shipping Connectivity Index 319.55 (2025); Container Import Dwell Time 4.2 (2024).
Share
Mobility & Trade
14th
of 177 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place United Arab Emirates on mobility & trade — 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.
Key 1 of 4
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
319.55
LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)
Higher is better
Ranked 15th of 177 by UNCTAD
United Arab Emirates: 319.55. Across the 168 countries in this edition, values run from 4.13 (Turks and Caicos Islands) to 1,313 (China); the world median is 60.84.
- World median
- 60.84
- Best in Western Asia
- 319.55 United Arab Emirates
- Land neighbours
- Oman 143.28 · Saudi Arabia 237.46
4.2
Median days a full import container waits in port
Lower is better
United Arab Emirates: 4.2. Across the 156 countries in this edition, values run from 1 (Gibraltar) to 21.6 (Haiti); the world median is 4.4.
- World median
- 4.4
- Best in Western Asia
- 2 Cyprus
- Land neighbours
- Oman 5.5 · Saudi Arabia 3.3
4
LPI score (1–5)
Higher is better
Ranked 7th of 139 by World Bank Group
United Arab Emirates: 4. Across the 139 countries in this edition, values run from 1.9 (Afghanistan) to 4.3 (Singapore); the world median is 2.9.
- World median
- 2.9
- Best in Western Asia
- 4 United Arab Emirates
- Land neighbours
- Oman 3.3 · Saudi Arabia 3.4
Key 4 of 4
ICT Goods Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
8.29
ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports)
Higher is better
United Arab Emirates: 8.29. Across the 120 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Gambia) to 61.45 (Hong Kong); the world median is 0.975.
- World median
- 0.975
- Best in Western Asia
- 17.66 Israel
- Land neighbours
- Saudi Arabia 2.25
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.
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index
LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100) · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates fell from 255.91 in 2006 to 190.03 in 2026; the world median went from 52.25 to 56.21.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2026 190.0 56.21 2025 319.6 60.84 2024 311.2 55.22 2023 307.4 54.78 2022 279.4 51.49 2021 260.3 52.64 2020 277.1 47.86 2019 280.1 51.05 2018 281.0 52.03 2017 287.5 49.87 2016 292.5 48.09 2015 304.2 49.13 2014 289.2 48.08 2013 288.1 51.32 2012 299.7 47.44 2011 293.4 50.26 2010 291.7 50.51 2009 303.3 53.04 2008 319.4 51.68 2007 274.8 55.78 2006 255.9 52.25 Logistics Performance Index
LPI score (1–5) · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates rose from 3.728 in 2007 to 4 in 2023; the world median went from 2.529 to 2.9.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2023 4.00 2.900 2018 3.96 2.706 2016 3.94 2.734 2014 3.54 2.753 2012 3.78 2.773 2010 3.63 2.746 2007 3.73 2.529 ICT Goods Exports
ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports) · higher is better
United Arab EmiratesWorld median
United Arab Emirates rose from 4.29 in 2005 to 8.29 in 2024; the world median went from 0.57 to 0.975.
Every year’s figures
Year United Arab Emirates World median 2024 8.29 0.975000 2023 7.49 0.690000 2022 7.49 0.565000 2021 8.43 0.550000 2020 9.05 0.680000 2019 7.78 0.625000 2018 7.04 0.480000 2017 7.45 0.630000 2016 2.08 0.865000 2015 2.51 0.790000 2014 2.25 0.760000 2013 1.78 0.645000 2012 7.48 0.630000 2011 — 0.535000 2010 — 0.560000 2009 — 0.780000 2008 1.94 0.595000 2007 2.70 0.660000 2006 — 0.445000 2005 4.29 0.570000 2004 — 0.535000 2003 — 0.530000 2002 — 0.510000 2001 — 0.490000 2000 — 0.430000
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 177 countries on mobility & trade, never a place within the region.
United Arab Emirates and the countries it borders
Standing among all 177; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Liner Shipping Connectivity IndexLSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100) | Container Import Dwell TimeMedian days a full import container waits in port | Logistics Performance IndexLPI score (1–5) | ICT Goods ExportsICT goods exports (% of total goods exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Arab Emirates | 14th | 319.55 | 4.2 | 4 | 8.29 |
 Saudi Arabiacompare | 40th | 237.46 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 2.25 |
 Oman | 57th | 143.28 | 5.5 | 3.3 | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Western Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 177.
Placed either side on mobility & trade
The countries immediately above and below United Arab Emirates in the topic’s list.
Israel11th
Austria12th
United Kingdom13th- United Arab Emirates14th
India15th
Taiwan16th
Denmark17th
04Context, no vote
Where United Arab Emirates is ahead of the world, and behind
19 more statistics filed under mobility & trade, 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 median2
Statistics on which United Arab Emirates does better than the middle country measured.
Inbound Mobility Rate, TertiaryUIS · 2024 · world median 5.494655.494No real change since 2018
United Arab Emirates: 65 · world median 5.494 · Inbound mobility rate, tertiary (%). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 87.12; higher is better.
Position 4th of 75 · derived.
Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 25.4227.725.42▼ Worsened since 2014
United Arab Emirates: 27.7 · world median 25.42 · Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.377 to 87.15; higher is better.
Position 79th of 170 · derived.
Behind the world median2
Statistics on which United Arab Emirates does worse than the middle country measured.
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.
Freedom of Foreign MovementV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.2-0.0141.2▲ Improved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: -0.014 · world median 1.2 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +2.9); higher = freer movement. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.642 to 2.727; higher is better.
Position 134th of 176 · derived.
No better end15
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
International Migrants as a Share of PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 6.08973.976.089No real change since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 73.97 · world median 6.089 · International migrants (% of population). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 100.
Net Migration RateUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median -0.13328.19-0.133No real change since 2013
United Arab Emirates: 28.19 · world median -0.133 · Net migrants per 1,000 population. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -61.68 to 39.62.
International MigrantsUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 223,3238,157,000223,323No real change since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 8,157,000 · world median 223,323 · International migrants living in the country, mid-year (people). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 246 to 52,375,047.
Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.810042.8No real change since 2012
United Arab Emirates: 100 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.
Merchant Fleet by Country of OwnershipUNCTAD · 2026 · world median 275.7359,608275.73Moved since 2016
United Arab Emirates: 59,608 · world median 275.73 · Merchant fleet owned (thousand dead-weight tons). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 397,071.
Container Port TrafficUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 1,827,78823,466,9061,827,788Moved since 2014
United Arab Emirates: 23,466,906 · world median 1,827,788 · Container port traffic (TEU, twenty-foot equivalent units). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 17,263 to 299,703,800.
Position 8th of 103 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 9.60234.119.602Moved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 34.11 · world median 9.602 · Services exports (% of GDP). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.085 to 166.21.
Asylum-Seekers by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2025 · world median 1,8366,2571,836Moved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 6,257 · world median 1,836 · Asylum-seekers awaiting a decision, end of year (people). UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 3,718,945.
Terms of Trade IndexUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 103.23104.92103.23Moved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 104.92 · world median 103.23 · Terms of trade index (2015 = 100). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 38.2 to 1,448.
Commodity Export DependenceUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 67.1770.467.17Moved since 2014
United Arab Emirates: 70.4 · world median 67.17 · Commodity exports (% of merchandise exports, three-year average). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 4.605 to 99.77.
Outbound Mobility Ratio, TertiaryUIS · 2023 · world median 5.2795.6825.279Moved since 2018
United Arab Emirates: 5.682 · world median 5.279 · Outbound mobility ratio, tertiary (% of tertiary enrolment at home). UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.333 to 1,724.
Foreign Value Added Share of Gross ExportsOECD · 2022 · world median 27.4127.4927.41Moved since 2012
United Arab Emirates: 27.49 · world median 27.41 · Foreign value added (% of gross exports). OECD, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 4.491 to 66.08.
Export Concentration IndexUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 0.3060.2920.306Moved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 0.292 · world median 0.306 · Export concentration index (0–1, normalised Herfindahl–Hirschman). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.059 to 0.933.
EmigrantsUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 444,451166,074444,451Moved since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 166,074 · world median 444,451 · Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 313 to 18,533,845.
Refugee Population by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2025 · world median 12,2691,37712,269No real change since 2015
United Arab Emirates: 1,377 · world median 12,269 · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate hosted, end of year (people). UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,655,191.
No current reading for United Arab Emirates
Average Time to Clear Exports Through Customs, Cost of Sending Remittances, Creative Goods Exports (last 2023), Creative Services Exports, Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Exports of Goods and Services (% of GDP) (last 2023), FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP) (last 2023), Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products (last 2021) and Trade (% of GDP) (last 2023). 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
Mobility & Trade among United Arab Emirates’s 14 topics
Mobility & Trade is United Arab Emirates’s 5th 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 mobility & trade
The three countries placed highest of 177, and the leaders United Arab Emirates can most readily be measured against.
1
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
1st of 177 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2
MacauEastern Asia
2nd of 177 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
Hong KongEastern Asia
3rd of 177 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Base64 and Derivative work by Globe-trotter · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Singapore1st4/4 keysHighest in Western Asia
Israel11th3/4 keysThis page
United Arab Emirates14th4/4 keys
Positions out of 177 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.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about United Arab Emirates and mobility & trade
On mobility & trade
China Leads Global High-Technology Exports
The world’s ten largest high-technology exporters as a treemap, with the rest of the world beside them. Each country’s figure is its own most recent year, between 2022 and 2024.
On mobility & trade
The World’s Safest Airlines for 2025
The eleven safest airlines of 2025, each beside the country it is based in, and the nine things the grading looks at. Three airlines share third place, and the publisher gives an order but no score.
On mobility & trade
The world’s most powerful passports for 2025
Sixteen passports, their mobility scores, and the visa-free, visa-on-arrival and visa-required split behind each. Fourteen share third place while differing in how they reach it.
08Questions
United Arab Emirates on mobility & trade: 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 mobility & trade?
United Arab Emirates is placed 14th of 177 countries on Mobility & Trade in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Liner Shipping Connectivity Index, Container Import Dwell Time, Logistics Performance Index and ICT Goods Exports). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Liner Shipping Connectivity Index figure for United Arab Emirates?
319.55 in 2025 (lSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)), according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The world median in the same edition was 60.84.
What is the latest Container Import Dwell Time figure for United Arab Emirates?
4.2 in 2024 (median days a full import container waits in port), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 4.4.
How does United Arab Emirates compare with Saudi Arabia on mobility & trade?
Saudi Arabia is placed 40th of 177, and United Arab Emirates 14th. Liner Shipping Connectivity Index: Saudi Arabia 237.46, United Arab Emirates 319.55; Container Import Dwell Time: Saudi Arabia 3.3, United Arab Emirates 4.2; Logistics Performance Index: Saudi Arabia 3.4, United Arab Emirates 4; ICT Goods Exports: Saudi Arabia 2.25, United Arab Emirates 8.29.
How have United Arab Emirates’s mobility & trade figures changed?
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index fell from 255.91 in 2006 to 190.03 in 2026; Logistics Performance Index rose from 3.728 in 2007 to 4 in 2023; ICT Goods Exports rose from 4.29 in 2005 to 8.29 in 2024.
Which mobility & trade statistics are missing for United Arab Emirates?
No current reading is published for United Arab Emirates on Average Time to Clear Exports Through Customs, Cost of Sending Remittances, Creative Goods Exports, Creative Services Exports, Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, Exports of Goods and Services (% of GDP), FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP), Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products and Trade (% of GDP). They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Passport strength and freedom of movement for people are not measured with a key, because the data behind passport rankings is not licensed for reuse here. Trade as a share of the economy, remittance costs and student mobility are published here as context.
How the Mobility & Trade 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 mobility & trade method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Liner Shipping Connectivity Index — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Container Import Dwell Time — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Logistics Performance Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- ICT Goods Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 19 statistics on this page come from 7 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
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
- Macau — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hong Kong — Base64 and Derivative work by Globe-trotter, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). United Arab Emirates: Mobility & Trade — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/mobility