United Arab Emirates: Investment freedom

The latest value from 2025 is 50 points, unchanged from 50 points in 2024. In comparison, the world average is 54 points, based on data from 175 countries. Historically, the average for the United Arab Emirates from 1996 to 2025 is 39 points. The minimum value, 30 points, was reached in 1996 while the maximum of 50 points was recorded in 2001. See the global rankings or world map for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The Investment Freedom index for the United Arab Emirates from The Heritage Foundation measures the restrictions to investment activity both within the country and across borders. A higher score means fewer restrictions.

Definition: The Investment freedom index evaluates a variety of investment restrictions (burdensome bureaucracy, restrictions on land ownership, expropriation of investments without fair compensation, foreign exchange controls, capital control, security problems, a lack of basic investment infrastructure, etc.). Points are deducted from the ideal score of 100 for each of the restrictions found in a country’s investment regime.