Since taking leadership of the UAE Government on 5 January 2006, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, has driven a bold and innovative approach to nation-building, guiding the country through a comprehensive development renaissance across every sector.
Over the last two decades, the UAE has risen to leading positions on numerous global indicators, establishing itself as an international model for effective governance, development, security, and stability.
At the heart of Sheikh Mohammed’s vision is human capital development, with education, healthcare, and housing prioritized as the essential pillars of national progress and societal awareness.
During this period, the UAE Government has invested more than AED1.1 trillion in these areas. Education has received the largest share, with over AED170 billion allocated, while healthcare and community protection exceeded AED60 billion, and housing programmes for citizens received more than AED55 billion, ensuring access to high-quality homes and services.
Education has remained a central focus of government action, with policies and initiatives recognizing its role as the backbone of sustainable national development. Today, more than 1.51 million students are enrolled in 2,658 public and private schools across the country. Between 2006 and 2024, the number of schools grew by 36 percent, student enrolment increased by 47 percent, and teaching staff nearly tripled to almost 150,000.
To create an integrated and sustainable education ecosystem, the Education, Human Development, and Community Council was established. It aligns general and higher education with vocational training and life skills development, strengthens collaboration between government, civil society, and the private sector, and ensures education policies are closely linked to labour market needs.
The education sector has also undergone rapid digital transformation, introducing classroom technologies, e-learning platforms, and advanced curricula in artificial intelligence, equipping students with future-ready skills and turning schools into innovative and interactive learning hubs.
Significant improvements in educational infrastructure have accompanied this digital progress, with modern school complexes built to international standards, supporting student wellbeing and fostering innovation and extracurricular activities. The UAE has also reinforced Arabic language, Islamic education, and national identity within schools, balancing global openness with cultural roots.
Higher education has similarly expanded, with 150 institutions serving over 200,000 students. Government initiatives, such as the National Higher Education Institutions Classification Framework, have improved global rankings, attracted international students and researchers, and strengthened the UAE’s reputation as a global knowledge hub. A new federal funding system ensures public higher education aligns efficiently with labour market priorities.
The healthcare sector has seen transformative growth, supported by forward-looking legislation and policies. Today, the UAE hosts over 5,700 healthcare facilities, with hospital numbers up 145 percent and bed capacity nearly doubled since 2006. The number of doctors has more than tripled to nearly 35,000, while nurses increased fourfold to nearly 68,000. Annual healthcare spending rose from AED18.9 billion in 2006 to AED100 billion in 2024.
Recent initiatives include the UAE’s national genomic programme, aimed at advancing preventive and personalized healthcare, strengthening research, and enhancing national health security. Legislative frameworks, such as the Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Law, and the establishment of the Emirates Drug Establishment, have promoted ethical medical practices and positioned the UAE as a global pharmaceutical hub.
Over the past two decades, the UAE has transformed structurally into a diversified, knowledge-based, and innovation-driven economy. GDP rose by AED858 billion between 2006 and 2024 to reach AED1.776 trillion, with non-oil activities contributing 77.5 percent of total GDP. Non-oil foreign trade expanded from AED415 billion to over AED2.9 trillion, a growth of more than 590 percent, while non-oil exports increased from AED29 billion to approximately AED559 billion, an 18-fold rise. Foreign direct investment inflows rose from AED47 billion to AED168 billion, with the UAE ranking second globally for new FDI projects in 2024.
These achievements reflect Sheikh Mohammed’s visionary leadership, which has invested in world-class infrastructure, embraced digital transformation, and pioneered new economic sectors, including space, advanced sciences, AI, clean energy, and the green economy. Together, these milestones underscore the UAE’s evolution as a global model of proactive leadership and sustainable development, positioning the nation for a new golden era.
