Page 425 - MOET PR REPORT- SEPTEMBER 2025

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9/23/25, 5:02 PM UAE seeks to increase number of startups to more than 2mln by 2031: MOE
In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the press conference announcing
the details of the national campaign 'The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World', Al Marri added that
the UAE also aims to see 10 unicorns emerge during the same period, with about five unicorn
companies having already originated from the country.

He pointed out that the campaign supports these national goals by providing an enabling environment
that empowers youth to launch their entrepreneurial ventures and achieve growth and expansion.

He explained that the UAE possesses comprehensive strategies that encompass economic clusters,
food security, economic openness through Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements, as well

as strategies for innovation and intellectual property protection, affirming the readiness of the national
infrastructure to support the growth of startups at both the federal and local levels.

He noted that the UAE today hosts more than 1.2 million companies, of which around one million are
owned by entrepreneurs, representing nearly 94% of the total. This, he emphasised, reflects the pivotal
role of entrepreneurs in strengthening the national economy.

The small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) contributed 63.5% to the non-oil GDP of the national

economy by mid-2022, while SMEs account for 95% of the total number of companies operating in the
UAE markets.