Over the past two decades, the UAE has advanced to leading positions in numerous global indicators, emerging as an international benchmark for effective governance, development, security and stability.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Over the past 20 years, the UAE Government has invested more than AED1.1tn ($299bn), with education receiving the largest share at more than AED170bn ($46.3bn).
Federal spending on healthcare and community protection exceeded AED60bn ($16.3bn), while UAE citizens’ housing programmes received more than AED55bn ($15bn) to ensure high-quality housing solutions and services.
Education has remained the cornerstone of government action, supported through policies and programmes recognising its role as the backbone of sustainable development.
The UAE’s education system today serves more than 1.51 million students across 2,658 public and private schools nationwide.
Between 2006 and 2024, the number of schools rose by 36 per cent, while student enrolment increased by 47 per cent, and the number of teachers surged by 195 per cent to nearly 150,000.
To align national efforts in education and human development, the Education, Human Development and Community Council was established as a strategic step towards building an integrated and sustainable education ecosystem.
Education in the UAE
The council works to align general and higher education, vocational development and life skills, strengthen coordination between government entities, civil society and the private sector, and ensure education policies are closely linked to labour market needs.
Over the past two decades, the education sector has undergone rapid digital transformation, from classroom technology integration to e-learning platforms and advanced national curricula in artificial intelligence.
These initiatives aim to equip students with future-ready digital skills and transform schools into innovative, interactive learning environments.
Significant progress has also been made in educational infrastructure, with modern school complexes developed to international standards, enhancing student wellbeing and reinforcing schools as hubs for learning, innovation and extracurricular activities.
At the same time, the UAE has reinforced the role of Arabic language, Islamic education and national identity within the education system, ensuring a balance between global openness and cultural roots.
The UAE is home to 150 higher education institutions serving more than 200,000 students. Government initiatives to enhance quality and competitiveness include the National Higher Education Institutions Classification Framework, which aimed at improving global rankings, attracting international students and researchers, and strengthening the UAE’s reputation as a global knowledge hub.
A new federal funding system for public higher education institutions has also been adopted, ensuring efficiency and alignment with labour market needs by pre-determining study places and priority specialisations.
Healthcare in the UAE
The healthcare sector has seen transformative growth over the past 20 years, supported by progressive legislation and policy reforms.
The UAE now hosts more than 5,700 healthcare facilities, delivering services aligned with international best practices. The number of hospitals increased by 145 per cent between 2006 and 2024, while hospital bed capacity nearly doubled.
The number of doctors rose more than threefold to nearly 35,000, and nurses quadrupled to almost 68,000.
Annual healthcare spending increased from AED18.9bn ($5.1bn) in 2006 to AED100bn ($27.2bn) in 2024.
In recent years, the UAE launched the world’s largest and most comprehensive national genomic programme, aimed at advancing preventive and personalised healthcare, strengthening medical research and enhancing national health security.
This was supported by the establishment of the Emirates Genome Council and the issuance of the first federal law regulating human genome use.
Further legislation includes the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Law, promoting ethical, innovative and internationally aligned practices, and the establishment of the Emirates Drug Establishment to regulate medical products and position the UAE as a global pharmaceutical hub.
Over the past two decades, the UAE has undergone a structural transformation towards a diversified, knowledge-based and innovation-driven economy, reducing reliance on oil and strengthening its role as a global hub for trade, investment and finance.
UAE economy
Gross domestic product rose by AED858bn ($233.6bn) between 2006 and 2024, hitting more than AED1.776tn ($483.5bn).
Non-oil GDP recorded growth of 5.7 per cent in the first half of 2025, with non-oil activities contributing 77.5 per cent of total GDP.
Non-oil foreign trade expanded from AED415bn ($113bn) in 2006 to more than AED2.9tn ($790bn) in 2024, a growth exceeding 590 per cent.
This performance was supported by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) programme launched in 2021, under which 26 agreements covering 53 countries have been concluded.
Non-oil exports surged from AED29bn ($7.9bn) in 2006 to approximately AED559bn ($152.2bn) in 2024, more than an 18-fold increase of AED530bn ($144.3bn), underscoring the success of the UAE’s diversification strategy.
Foreign direct investment inflows rose from AED47bn ($12.8bn) in 2006 to AED168bn ($45.8bn) in 2024. According to UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2025, the UAE ranked second globally in 2024 for the number of new FDI projects, reflecting strong international confidence in the country’s business environment.
These historic achievements are the result of a forward-looking vision and exceptional leadership through which His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has guided the UAE Government to lay strong foundations for the future — investing in world-class infrastructure, embracing digital transformation, and pioneering new economic sectors including space, advanced sciences, artificial intelligence, clean energy and the green economy.
Together, these milestones mark a profound transformation that positions the UAE as a global model for proactive leadership and sustainable development, reaffirming the nation’s steady progress towards a new golden era.
