The UAE has achieved the top global position in the telecommunications infrastructure index, the institutional framework for digital government, and the digital content index, as stated in the second edition of the “State of Digital Transformation Report.” This report was unveiled by the UAE’s Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation during the recent Digital Readiness Retreat.
The report emphasizes the UAE government’s digital accomplishments across 12 crucial sectors, including the economy, finance, human resources, health, education, community development, culture and youth, immigration and foreign affairs, security and justice, infrastructure and energy, logistics, and the environment.
Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, minister of State for Government Development and the Future in the UAE Government and chair of the Committee, remarked that digital readiness and transformation are pivotal to the UAE leadership’s vision, aimed at eradicating bureaucracy and improving quality of life through technology.
She highlighted that the report monitors significant digital achievements over the past year, underscoring the UAE’s leadership in global competitiveness indices related to digital governance. It is designed to inspire further efforts to achieve national digital objectives.
AI readiness and service delivery
The report reveals that the UAE ranked first globally in the UN indices for telecommunications infrastructure, digital government framework, digital content, and digital knowledge.
Additionally, it led the global “Government AI Readiness Index 2024” by Oxford Insights, secured third place in government service delivery, and ranked fourth in the GovTech Maturity Index according to the World Bank. The country placed 11th in both the IMD’s Digital Competitiveness Index and the UN E-Government Development Index.
Efforts in digital government have resulted in substantial efficiency gains, including AED368 billion saved for users and AED20 billion in government cost reductions. The transformation also led to savings of 530 million labor hours and a reduction of carbon emissions by 55.8 million tons.
In 2024 alone, UAE federal government entities processed 173.7 million digital transactions. Federal websites received 131.5 million visits, and government apps were downloaded 26.3 million times. A total of 1,419 digital services are currently offered, with 195 classified as priority. The satisfaction rate for digital services reached an impressive 91 percent, benefiting over 57 million users. Presently, there are 460 active digital transformation projects across federal agencies.
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Achievements by sector
In the digital government sector, 10.8 million individuals utilized the UAE Pass, which now connects to 15,000 services and facilitates 2.6 billion integrated digital transactions. In the economic sector, 5.2 million tax transactions were completed digitally, along with 316,800 certificates of origin and 64,100 trademark registration and renewal requests.
Moreover, in finance, the sector processed 8,300 vendor registrations, 2,500 financial market employee accreditations, and 1,000 foreign investment fund renewals. resources saw 13.2 million work permit applications and 8 million employment contract transactions, with 1.2 million training hours delivered through the “Jahiz” digital learning platform.
In health, 2 million prescriptions were filled using robotic pharmacies, 1 million chest X-rays were conducted with the aid of artificial intelligence, and 437,900 remote medical consultations were performed. The education sector provided digital learning to 1.4 million individuals and processed 445,700 university course registrations.
Community services addressed 115,600 digital inquiries and completed 243,800 zakat and donation transactions, as well as 125,700 digital requests for fatwas and zakat calculations. In justice and security, 4.2 million traffic fine payments, 1.5 million vehicle registrations, and 417,800 criminal record certificate applications were handled digitally.
The identity and residency sector processed 4.7 million Emirates ID renewals, 1.6 million private sector residency permit renewals, and 596,200 digital document attestations. Infrastructure and logistics services completed 5,900 housing assistance requests, issued 68,500 national transport permits, and granted 3,000 nuclear activity licenses.
In the environmental sector, authorities processed 76,600 plant health certificates, 39,600 veterinary export certificates, and 59,900 agricultural product clearance transactions. In the culture sector, 2,400 library memberships were issued, 368 cultural artifacts were registered, and 162 event space rental requests were fulfilled.
