The UAE ranked second regionally for economic freedom in the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World 2026 report, scoring 7.42 out of 10. Bahrain led the region with 7.49, followed by the UAE, Jordan on 7.38, Saudi Arabia on 7.17 and Qatar on 6.97.

The report assesses jurisdictions across five areas. The UAE scored 7.08 for legal systems and property rights, ranking 30th globally, and 8.62 for freedom to trade internationally, placing 33rd. It ranked 29th worldwide for regulation with a score of 7.23 and 76th for sound money with 8.47.

The 2026 edition is based on 2024 data covering 165 countries. Hong Kong topped the global ranking, followed by Switzerland, Singapore, New Zealand and the United States. The Fraser Institute said economic freedom has begun to recover following declines during the pandemic period, although levels remain below their pre-pandemic peak.

Among major economies, the United Kingdom ranked 10th, Japan 13th, Canada 18th, Germany 19th, France 39th and China 110th. Egypt was among the ten lowest-ranked countries in the index, alongside Congo, Malawi, Algeria, Iran, Myanmar, Libya, Sudan, Zimbabwe and Venezuela.

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