The document analyzes rankings of the United Arab Emirates and GCC countries across various global indexes. It finds that the UAE typically ranks in the top quartile of indexes measuring areas like technology readiness, economic competitiveness, and smartphone and retail development. However, the UAE ranks lower on social progress due to subjective measures of personal rights and opportunities. Overall, the analysis suggests the UAE is well-positioned to achieve its vision of a sustainable, diversified economy by 2030 if it can further improve lagging social indicators.

1. United Arab Emirates &
GCC Ranking
Where the UAE & GCC ranks based on global indexes &
studies?
Ahmed Benrekia
Senior Strategy Consultant

2.  2
Figure 1 – Where the UAE ranks based on 8 global indexes
& measures
1
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
The main purpose of this paper is to provide
informative data based on 8 global indexes and
measures from different sources, focusing mainly
on the United Arab Emirates ranking in the
world. In addition to that, the paper will provide
additional data on the GCC countries ranking on
some of the indexes and measures where data is
available. The measures provide a high level
understanding on the progress and result of the
nation on achieving its vision and where are the
areas of improvement if analyzed deeply.
Although it might seem that the measures are
tech heavy, there are indexes such as Social
Progress & Global Competitiveness that
considers many dimensions such as health, job
opportunities, human rights, education, and etc..
In a Nutshell
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
Introduction1
0 10 20 30 40
Social Progress Index
The Networked Readiness
Index
Global Competitiveness Index
Smart Phone Penetration
Global Retail Development
Index
Foreign Direct Investment
Confidence Index
Satisfaction with Online
Government Services
GDP Per Capita
UAE Rank
Figure 2 – Top 3 Bottom 3 Ranking
Smart Phone Penetration 1
Global Retail Development Index 4
Satisfaction with Online Government
Services
5
Social Progress Index 37
The Networked Readiness Index 25
Global Competitiveness Index 19
Top3Bottom3
As demonstrated in figure 1, the UAE ranks first
quartile in 7 out of 8 indexes and measures while
only ranking in the second quartile in Social
Progress Index. Four of the indexes and
measures show that the UAE ranking in top 10
counties, two of the indexes and measures show
that ranks between 11-20 and the rest fall in
rank above 20. Figure 2 demonstrates that the
UAE is ranking top 5 in smart phone penetration,
retail and what is known nowadays as
eGovernment. The reason that the UAE ranks low
in Social Progress Index is due to the opportunity
dimension score which is subjective and is
defined based on western ideology of what
opportunity should be. For example opportunity
is defined by 4 sub dimensions such as personal
rights, personal freedom & choice, tolerance &
inclusion and access to advanced education. The
reason that opportunity score is low is due to the
personal rights sub dimension which scored 118
which I believe is unfair as personal rights differ
from one country to another and it is not
measured correctly as it looked at 80% of the
population that are expats and are on work
residence and are not citizens of the country,
meaning the environment wasn’t taken into
consideration in terms of the country’s structure
and policies.
High Level Analysis

3.  3
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
UAE Ranking Scorecard2
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
Index/Measure World Rank GCC Rank Source/Notes
Social Progress Index 37 1 Social Progress Index (Social Progress Index Report
2014 – Social Progress Imperative).
• The world ranking is based on 137 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 3 countries (Saudi
Arabia, UAE & Kuwait). There is no data available
for the rest of the GCC countries
- Basic Human Needs 25 1
- Foundation of Wellbeing 30 1
- Opportunity 60 1
The Networked Readiness Index 25 2 Networked Readiness Index (Global Information
Technology Report 2014 - WEF)
• The world ranking is based on 144 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 6 countries (Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar & Kuwait).
Qatar Ranks 1st in the GCC.
- Environment 18 1
- Readiness 38 3
- Usage 21 2
Global Competitiveness Index 19 2 Global Competitiveness Index (Global
Competitiveness Index Report 2013- 2014 – WEF)
• The world ranking is based on 144 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 6 countries (Saudi
Arabia, UAE, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar & Kuwait).
Qatar Ranks 1st in the GCC.
- Basic Requirement 4 1
- Efficiency Enhancers 20 2
- Innovation & Sophistication Factors 24 2
Smart Phone Penetration 1 1
Smart Phone Penetration (Our Mobile Planet by
Google – 2013)
• The world ranking is based on 47 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 2 countries (Saudi &
UAE)
Global Retail Development Index 4 1
Global Retail Development Index (Global Retail
Development Index Report 2014 - AT Kerney )
• The world ranking is based on 30 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 4 countries (Saudi,
Kuwait, Oman & UAE)
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index 11 -
Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index (Foreign
Direct Investment Confidence Index Report 2014 - AT
Kerney )
• The world ranking is based on 25 countries only.
• No data is available for the rest of the GCC
countries
Satisfaction with Online Government Services 5 (52%) 1
Digital Government (Turning the rhetoric into reality
– BCG)
• The world ranking is based on 11 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 2 countries (Saudi &
UAE)
GDP Per Capita 7 2
Social Progress Index (Social Progress Index Report
2014 – Social Progress Imperative).
• The world ranking is based on 137 countries only.
• The GCC ranking is based on 3 countries (Saudi
Arabia, UAE & Kuwait). There is no data available
for the rest of the GCC countries

4.  4
3
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
GCC Ranking3
Social Progress Index
SAUDI ARABIA
OMAN
KUWAIT
QATAR
BAHRAIN
UAE
40
*ND
*ND
37
*ND
65
WR Social Progress Index
Basic Human
Needs
Foundation
of Wellbeing
Opportunity
40 Kuwait 27 44 67
65 Saudi Arabia 40 60 106
37 United Arab Emirates 25 30 60
*ND = No Data
Social Progress Index (Social Progress Index Report 2014 – Social Progress Imperative).
• The world ranking (WR) is based on 137 countries only

5.  5
3
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
GCC Ranking3
The Networked Readiness Index
SAUDI ARABIA
OMAN
KUWAIT
QATAR
BAHRAIN
UAE
72
29
23
24
40
31
WR The Networked Readiness Index Environment Readiness Usage
72 Kuwait 78 64 58
31 Saudi Arabia 27 54 31
29 Bahrain 40 32 25
40 Oman 33 57 37
23 Qatar 13 36 18
24 United Arab Emirates 18 38 21
Networked Readiness Index (Global Information Technology Report 2014 - WEF)
• The world ranking (WR) is based on 144 countries only.

6.  6
3
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
WR Global Competitiveness Index Basic Requirement
Efficiency
Enhancers
Innovation &
Sophistication
Factors
36 Kuwait 32 77 101
20 Saudi Arabia 14 27 29
43 Bahrain 25 38 59
33 Oman 13 39 39
13 Qatar 5 18 14
19 United Arab Emirates 4 20 24
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
GCC Ranking3
Global Competitiveness Index
SAUDI ARABIA
OMAN
KUWAIT
QATAR
BAHRAIN
UAE
36
43
13
19
33
20
Global Competitiveness Index (Global Competitiveness Index Report 2013- 2014 – WEF)
• The world ranking (WR) is based on 144 countries only.

7.  7
3
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
GCC Ranking3
Global Retail Development Index
SAUDI ARABIA
OMAN
KUWAIT
QATAR
BAHRAIN
UAE
8
*ND
*ND
4
17
16
WR
Global Retail Development
Index
Score
Market
Attractiveness
Country Risk
Market
Saturation
Time
Pressure
8 Kuwait 78.8 72.6 32.9 31.7
16 Saudi Arabia 72.3 67.3 29.5 27.4
4 United Arab Emirates 98.5 82.3 17.5 43.8
17 Oman 75.1 79.1 27.0 11.1
*ND = No Data
Global Retail Development Index (Global Retail Development Index Report 2014 - AT Kerney )
• The world ranking (WR) is based on 30 countries only

8.  8
5
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
Conclusion
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
Conclusion4
Abu Dhabi Vision 2030
“By 2030 Abu Dhabi intends to build a
sustainable and diversified, high value-
added economy that is well integrated
into the global economy and that
provides more accessible and higher-
value opportunities for all its citizens and
residents.”
Source: The Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 – General
Secretariat of the Executive Council
There are many more dimensions that should be
studied and taken into consideration when
assessing the UAE or more specifically Abu Dhabi
Vision 2030 especially the 9 pillars that has been
defined by the General Secretariat of Executive
Council. That been said, I believe the indexes and
measures provide a high level indication or
forecast on the UAE progression towards achieving
this vision and turning it into reality. Based on my
experience, increases in lead indicators such as
investing heavily on education/health
infrastructure is a positive sign for a specific
period of time but if those lead indicators don’t affect the lag indicators such as
illiteracy/mortality rate then a reassessment should be implemented to ensure targets will be
met and performance gaps are closed. We should always keep in mind that it is some how easy
to dream and define an ambitious and well written vision. However, what is more important is
quantifying the journey towards achieving this vision and consistently revising the progress
without taking our eyes away from the prize, this is where the nation’s strategy plays a vital
role. Strategy is like a navigation system in your car, there are many routes that you can take to
reach your destination but each of the routes have a different distance and time. The key is
choosing the best route that your car will be able to take you with reasonable amount of time.
To conclude, I believe the UAE is on track to achieving this vision well before 2030, only if it is
able to successfully convert those lead indicators into more positive results in the lag indicators,
while considering that some measures will not change due to the subjective definitions that
doesn’t take into consideration the culture or nature of the nations in the GCC and are more of
western ideologies.

9.  9
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
Biography
Ahmed Benrekia has been working for Palladium since January 2012
and is Balanced Scorecard Certified since July 2012. He has worked in
different sectors such as Government, Utilities, Non-Profit and
Banking in the Middle East. Ahmed’s experience includes several
implementations of Palladium’s Execution Premium Process, Office of
Strategy Management, Change Management, Initiative Management
and is the Executive Strategy Manager “Performance Management
Systems” Expert in Palladium EMEA. In addition to that, Ahmed has
experience in facilitating and presenting Palladium’s Strategy
Execution Bootcamps, client’s engagement sessions and training on
the ESM for C level management and superusers.
Prior to joining Palladium, Ahmed gathered experience in the IT
Consultancy industry mainly focusing on Performance Management
Systems. He worked as a Performance Architect on a BI module called
Actuate and mainly had implementations in the Government Sector.
Ahmed holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management Information
Systems from American University of Cyprus and has obtained a
Masters degree in Management Information Systems from the same
educational institute.
Currently, Ahmed is a Senior Consultant helping organizations link
strategy to operations, operate the Office of Strategy Management and
ultimately achieving effective strategy execution.
Had the pleasure to meet Dr.
Kaplan the co-author of the
BSC and XPP
United Arab Emirates & GCC Ranking
Biography5

10.  10
Thank You
AhmedBenrekia //ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
For any questions or comments, please contact me on the following:
Ahmed Benrekia
ahmed.benrekia@hotmail.co.uk
@ahmedbenrekia