The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has secured a position among the top 35 nations globally with the largest shipping fleets by tonnage and capacity, as per the 2024 report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The report also recognized three other Arab nations on the list: Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar. Additionally, the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) highlighted that 10 Gulf container ports ranked among the 70 most efficient globally in 2024, out of 405 ports worldwide.
GCC-Stat reported that the Gulf commercial fleet represented 54.2% of the total Arab commercial fleet in 2023. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries also outperformed the Arab average on the Liner Shipping Connectivity Index, with a score of 100.5 in 2023. Furthermore, the number of major Gulf seaports surpassed 25 in 2024.
In terms of container productivity, two Gulf ports were classified as high-production ports, each handling over 4 million containers, while eight ports were categorized as medium-production, with outputs ranging from 0.5 million to 4 million containers.
GCC-Stat underscored the sustainable development of infrastructure across key ports and maritime stations, reinforcing their status as global logistics hubs. Gulf maritime navigation and ports were highlighted as strategic enablers for global shipping companies and logistics services.
One notable achievement of GCC cooperation is the Unified Maritime Operations Centre, which plays a crucial role in safeguarding territorial waters, ensuring freedom of navigation, and enhancing regional security and stability
Meanwhile the United Arab Emirates has maintained its upward trajectory in global competitiveness reports in 2024, securing top positions in key indicators thanks to the wise leadership and forward-thinking vision aimed at human development as the foundation and primary goal of development.
The UAE ranked first globally in 223 indicators, compared to 215 in 2023, and was among the top five countries globally in 444 indicators, compared to 406 in 2023. It also ranked among the top 10 globally in 661 indicators, compared to 604 in 2023 and 508 in 2022.
The UAE’s progress is a tangible reflection of ongoing modernisation efforts in the legislative framework, the launch of proactive initiatives supporting the economic system and investment, the rule of law, the utilisation of advanced technology, and the development of various sectors to enhance the quality of life for all citizens and residents.
In the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024, the UAE climbed three places to seventh globally, following its achievement last year of entering the top 10 countries in the report.
The UAE’s performance was outstanding across all report dimensions, ranking second globally in the economic performance, fourth in the government efficiency, and tenth in the business environment efficiency.
The UAE’s positive performance has contributed to its leading position globally in over 90 indicators in the report, which fall under its main and sub-factors.
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The UAE ranked first regionally in the 2023/2024 Human Development Index report issued by the United Nations Development Programme and ranked 17th globally out of 193 countries included in the report.
For the third consecutive year, the UAE ranked first globally in the 2023/2024 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report, recording a rate of 7.7, a record high since the report’s launch.
The UAE ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 18th globally in the Travel & Tourism Development Index issued by the World Economic Forum.
The UAE achieved fifth place globally and first in the Arab world in road quality and tenth globally and second in the Arab world in the efficiency of public transport services, in addition to ninth place globally and first in the Arab world in the efficiency of port services, according to the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, issued in May by the World Economic Forum.
Throughout 2024, the UAE topped the world in a number of competitiveness indicators related to the civil aviation sector. It ranked first globally in the Quality of Air Transport Infrastructure Index within the 2024 Travel & Tourism Development Index and third globally in the efficiency of air transport services and number of seats for weekly international departures/kilometre indices.
