UAE stakes claim as global capital for digital nomads
Once known primarily for its oil wealth and gleaming skyscrapers, the UAE is now carving out a new global identity as a magnet for digital nomads, according to a report published by the state news agency WAM.
Rising to second place globally in the 2025
VisaGuide Digital Nomad Visa Index
, the UAE has become one of the world's most attractive destinations for remote workers, trailing only Spain and leapfrogging previous contenders such as the Bahamas, Hungary, and Montenegro.
This quiet but steady ascent reflects a broader strategy by the UAE to diversify its economy and position itself at the crossroads of global talent, technology, and mobility.
Rather than merely responding to the rise of remote work, the Gulf nation has anticipated it, building infrastructure, rolling out targeted visa programmes, and marketing its lifestyle offerings to a global audience of mobile professionals.
UAE rates highly with digital nomads for various reasons
According to
Immigrant Invest
, the UAE earned high marks across a wide range of indicators including internet quality, tax benefits, healthcare, cost of living, and, crucially, unmatched levels of safety and stability.
Remote work, once a niche privilege, has now ballooned into a global economic force valued at around $800bn a year.
Nearly 40 million people globally identify as digital nomads, a number projected to swell to one billion by 2035. If it were a country, the global digital nomad community would rank 41st in population, according to the report.
Recognising the shift early, the UAE launched its one-year renewable
Remote Work Visa
in 2021, making it one of the first countries to tailor immigration policy to remote professionals.
The move was swiftly followed by Abu Dhabi's
Virtual Working Programme
, reinforcing the country's intent to turn digital nomadism from a pandemic-era trend into a permanent pillar of its knowledge economy.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are now ranked first and fourth respectively among the world's top cities for remote work by
RemoteWork360
.
While infrastructure and visa policies provide the backbone, lifestyle remains a key selling point. From the beaches of Ras Al Khaimah to the art districts of Sharjah, the UAE is promoting itself as more than just an office in the sun but a place to live, explore and thrive.
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This performance places the UAE 14th globally among BRICS trading partners and fifth in internal BRICS trade, trailing China, Russia, India, and weeks before the summit, the UAE also participated in the 15th BRICS Trade Ministers' Meeting held in Brasília, where Juma Mohammed Al Kait, Assistant Undersecretary of International Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Economy, reaffirmed the UAE's commitment to strengthening partnerships across the meeting concluded with endorsements of key documents deepening economic cooperation, and supporting a fair, rules-based multilateral trading system. 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Emirati investments in Brazil total around $5 billion, led by Mubadala and firms like DP World, Emirates, and First Abu Dhabi UAE established a consulate in São Paulo in 2013, recognising the state's importance as Brazil's economic powerhouse, and InvestSP reciprocated by opening an office in Dubai in 2020. Non-oil bilateral trade reached $5.4 billion in 2024, up 23% from the previous year. RussiaThe total trade volume between the UAE and Russia reached $10.9 billion in 2023, according to data from the Ministry of Economy. Russia mainly exports precious metals, oil products, wheat, and aluminium, while the UAE exports plastics, tea, machinery, and electronics. A major milestone was the creation of a $7 billion joint investment platform by Russia's RFDI and Mubadala in World Russia, a joint venture announced in 2016, plans to invest up to $2 billion in Russian port and logistics infrastructure. The Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, and Technical Cooperation, active since 1994, continues to facilitate bilateral ties through regular meetings and specialised working groups. India The UAE and India share one of the strongest trade relationships among BRICS members, with bilateral trade hitting $85 billion in 2022. India is the UAE's second-largest trading partner, and the UAE is India's third-largest partner. In 2022, the two countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), India's first with any Gulf nation, which has since boosted trade by 15%.The UAE is India's fourth-largest supplier of crude oil and fourth-largest source of foreign direct investment, with Emirati giants like ADNOC, Mubadala, DP World, and Emirates NBD deeply invested across Indian sectors from energy to logistics. 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