Page 60 - MBRF ENGLISH PR REPORT - November 2024

Press Release

Sweden secured the leading position with an index value of 68.3, narrowly surpassing Finland,

ranking second with a score of 68.2, and Switzerland ranking third at 67.9. The fourth position
was shared by Denmark and the Netherlands, each scoring 66.8. Apart from the United States,

which came in seventh with 66.2, the top ten rankings were dominated by European nations

The GKI assessed 11 Arab nations, with the UAE topping the list in the Arab world and ranking
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26 globally with an index value of 60.9. Qatar closely followed, placing 39 globally with a score
of 55.5, while Saudi Arabia ranked third in the Arab world and 41 globally with a score of 54.8.
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Oman ranked fourth in the Arab world and 55 globally with a score of 50.0. Whereas, Lebanon,
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which was recently added to the GKI, ranked fifth in the Arab world and 81 globally with a score
of 45.4.

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Ten African countries ranked the lowest, with Niger in second-to-last place at 140 position with
a score of 25.8, and Chad in the last position at 141 with a score of 23.4.

The 2024 GKI successfully showcases the exemplary achievements of Arab nations in the
knowledge domain, across several key sectoral indicators. Remarkably, in the pre-university

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education sector, Saudi Arabia ranked 4 globally, with the average score for Arab countries in
this field reaching 64.1, which is higher than the global average of 61.9. Similarly, in the

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, Arab countries scored an average of
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49.5, outperforming the global average of 48.2. Globally, the UAE ranked 4 , and Saudi Arabia
ranked 7 globally, underscoring both nations’ enduring efforts to bolster their technological
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infrastructure and enhance the integration of modern technology in development strategies.

Within the economy sub-sector, the UAE was listed among the top ten countries worldwide,
based on factors like economic competitiveness, economic openness, finance, and local value

addition. Moreover, Arab countries’ performance in the research, development, and innovation

domain was on par with the global average of 31.5 points.

The GKI 2024 also underscored the consistent growth of certain Arab countries, especially the
UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, in critical sectors such as education, technology, and the economy.