The UAE ranked first in the Arab World and 11thglobally in the Global Knowledge Index 2021 issued by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The index measures global knowledge in countries based on their sustainable development policies, ability to build knowledge societies, and develop future oriented policies.

The index was implemented among 154 countries globally and contained seven secondary indicators that marked the performance of six crucial knowledge sectors namely, pre-university education, technical education and professional training, higher education, information and communications technology ICT, research development and innovation, and economy. It also had a secondary indicator that noted the social, political, economic, health and environmental context under which these sectors were being managed.

The results of the Global Knowledge Index 2021 underwent a comprehensive review during the seventh edition of the Knowledge Summit 2022 that was held recently at Expo 2020 Dubai. The index indicated that the UAE displayed exceptional performance in terms of knowledge infrastructure and came 11thamong 154 countries globally, and 11thamong 61 countries with very high levels of human development.

The UAE took sixth place globally in the pre-university education indicator, eighth place in the technical education and professional training indicator, 16thplace in the higher education indicator, 28thplace in the research development and innovation indicator, 14thplace in the ICT indicator, second place in the economy indicator, and 27thplace in the enabling environment indicator.

The index also highlighted five strengths in the UAEs 2021 results, which were-- data upload and download speeds on cellphones, broadband internet subscriptions on cellphones per 100 people, families with internet access at home, individuals with standard ICT skills, and the percentage of internet users.

The fifth edition of the Global Knowledge Index included 155 variables which were chosen from over 40 sources and international databases, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Bank, the International Telecommunication Union, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Labour Organization, and more. The results saw Switzerland taking 1stplace for the fifth year in a row, followed by Sweden, USA, Finland, and the Netherlands.