The top podcasts across the UAE, according to Spotify listening data for 2025, show a strong focus on business, leadership and entrepreneurism.
Topping the UAE charts is The Diary Of A CEO, hosted by entrepreneur Steven Bartlett. Its popularity reflects a strong appetite for long-form conversations focused on leadership, failure and discipline. The show’s appeal lies in its candid exploration of personal setbacks and practical lessons, themes that resonate with founders and executives operating in high-pressure environments.
Also ranking highly on Spotify is The Joe Rogan Experience, one of the few titles to overlap with the US top five. Its unfiltered discussions with entrepreneurs, scientists and athletes continue to attract UAE listeners seeking exposure to unconventional ideas and broader perspectives beyond traditional corporate frameworks.
The inclusion of The Mel Robbins Podcast highlights a regional focus on performance optimisation. Robbins’ psychology-driven advice on habits, confidence and execution aligns with leaders aiming to sharpen decision-making and personal effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Rotten Mango stands out as a narrative-driven outlier, suggesting that even highly driven executives value compelling storytelling, particularly content exploring human behaviour and ethical tension under pressure.
Rounding out the UAE’s top five is On Purpose with Jay Shetty, hosted by Jay Shetty, reflecting growing interest in purpose-led leadership and mental clarity.
Compared with the US, where comedy and pop culture dominate podcast charts, the UAE’s rankings reveal a sharper tilt towards entrepreneurial and self-development content. For business leaders, the message is clear: learning is continuous, on-demand and increasingly personal. In 2025, what leaders choose to listen to is becoming a reflection of how they lead.
