Business climate in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates ranks #18 of 54 on the overall business climate (score 63). Its strongest suit is business taxes, followed by red tape; the weakest is rule of law.
| Driver | Score | Rank | Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red tape and ease of doing business | 79 | #10 of 54 | Days to start a business (Doing Business): 8.20 (2017); Procedures to start a business (Doing Business): 4.00 (2017); Ease of doing business rank (Doing Business, 1 = easiest of 190): 21 (2017) |
| Rule of law and legal certainty | 27 | #48 of 54 | Liberal democracy (V-Dem): 0.08 (2025); Corruption perceptions score (higher = cleaner): 68 (2024); Strength of legal rights for borrowers and lenders: 2.00 (2017) |
| Taxes on business | 100 | #1 of 53 | Corporate income tax rate (headline): 9.00 (2026); Total tax and contribution rate on commercial profits: 16 (2017) |
| Cost of capital | – | – | no comparable figure yet |
| Energy prices for business | – | – | no comparable figure yet |
| Growth momentum and investment trend | 52 | #23 of 53 | Real GDP growth, average of the last five years: 2.33 (2024); Growth trend: last three years against 2015-2019: 2.37 (2024); Foreign direct investment, net inflows: 5.90 (2023) |
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Find the best business sites in United Arab Emirates
Open the mapSources as on the business-climate table. Nestlyzer scores each measure 0–100 between the 5th and 95th percentile of the countries it covers. How the method works.