The 2025 performance results tracked by the 2026 Competitiveness Report reflect the growing reach of customs work in supporting UAE competitiveness, given the direct link between the efficiency of customs procedures and the pace of trade, the resilience of supply chains, the quality of government services, security, digital transformation, and the appeal of the business environment.
The report, which measures 2025 performance, drew on 30 global reports and 69 competitiveness indicators — including 10 new ones — offering a more comprehensive read on the performance of the country's institutions and private sector, and the level of integration between government policy and operations.
According to the results, the number of indicators in which the UAE ranks among the global top 10 percent climbed from 27 to 37 — a jump of 10 indicators in a single edition and the largest such leap on record. The number of indicators in which the UAE leads the Arab world rose from 47 to 57, or 82.6 percent of the total.
The UAE recorded nine upgrades into higher competitiveness tiers and improved its ranking within the same tier on seven more indicators, against a modest decline on only two. The share of indicators in which the UAE held or improved its leading position reached 87%, up from 84.7% the previous year.
Dubai Customs' direct impact appears in seven competitiveness indicators tied to the core of customs work and the efficiency of trade movement — four of them within the World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (international shipments, tracking and tracing, timeliness, and the customs sub-index), alongside the logistics services performance pillar within the Global Innovation Index, the border administration indicator within the Legatum Prosperity Index, and the customs and trade borders sub-index issued by the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (TRACIT).
The organisation's influence also extends partially to 62 other indicators, reflecting how closely its operations are tied to the trade, logistics, digitalization, security, government services, and business-environment ecosystem.
This direct impact reflects the role customs operations play in determining how quickly shipments cross borders, how accurately they're tracked, how reliably delivery deadlines are met, and how efficient clearance, risk management, and border oversight are — making Dubai Customs' performance a driving factor in the efficiency of the UAE's logistics and trade system and its ability to compete globally.
The UAE ranked ninth globally in export trade for 2025, with total trade reaching $707 billion according to World Trade Organisation data. This coincided with Jebel Ali Port's advance on the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI), climbing from 49th to 26th place globally.
These results reflect the importance of integration between ports, customs, and logistics: clearance speed, coordinated procedures, and precise risk management all help speed goods to market and raise supply chain efficiency.
Source: WAM
