The UAE secured its place as the world’s ninth leading destination for foreign direct investment in 2026, continuing to rank among the top global economies attracting international capital flows.
According to the latest report, the UAE posted the strongest economic confidence levels globally, achieving a net optimism score of 42 per cent.
Japan followed closely at 41 per cent, while Canada, Germany and Thailand each recorded 39 per cent.
For the third year in a row, the UAE claimed the second position among emerging markets worldwide, ranking behind China and ahead of Saudi Arabia. Brazil and Mexico completed the top five emerging economies list.
The United States led the overall global rankings, while Canada, Japan, China and Germany followed in the top five positions.
Kearney linked the UAE’s performance to its 5.5 per cent economic expansion in 2025, investor-friendly regulatory reforms and the introduction of a USD10B national investment fund aligned with the country’s Investment Strategy 2031.
The study also highlighted the UAE’s continued investments in infrastructure and technology, alongside its stable and adaptable legal framework, as major contributors to rising investor trust.
Conducted in January 2026, the survey gathered insights from 507 senior executives representing multinational companies generating annual revenues above USD500M.
The report further noted that investors consider escalating geopolitical tensions the biggest threat to the global economy in the coming year, ahead of commodity price volatility and political uncertainty across developed nations.
