Where East meets West

100 capital cities in reach within six hours by air

Airport passenger traffic of 24.5 million in 2016 (ADAC)

5 Airports in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi International Airport currently has a new state of the art terminal building under construction. Once operational it will have the capacity of handling up to 30 million passengers per year.

Sovereign state

Over 200 nationalities. Strong emphasis on tolerance and anti-discrimination

Safest city in the world (Numbeo Crime Index 2019)

Moody's short- and long-term issuer rating for Abu Dhabi is Aa2/P-1 (March 2019, Moody's)

S&P's sovereign credit rating on Abu Dhabi is AA/A-1+ underpinned by the Emirate's large fiscal buffers (June 2019, Bloomberg).

Structured strategic plans to create a sustainable, knowledge-based economy and diversification away from its dependence upon oil (Vision 2021 & Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030)​.

The UAE is currently ranked 11th globally in the World Bank's annual Ease of Doing Business Report 2019. This is due to reforms which have boosted the country's competitiveness.

The UAE is the 5th most competitive country globally (2019 IMD World Global Competitiveness Ranking)

AED50 billion investment in the Ghadan 21 economic plan including 50 initiatives reflecting the priorities of citizens, residents and investors, enhancing the competitiveness of Abu Dhabi, based on business & investment, society, knowledge & innovation, and lifestyle.

Abu Dhabi is currently ranked 22nd globally​ in the Resilient Cities Index and has the highest ranking of all cities in the region. It is up three positions from a decade ago and will retain this position until 2028. The Index measures a city's ability to withstand and embrace the technological, demographic and leadership disruption facing real estate both now and in a decade (June 2019, Savills).

No corporation tax (except oil, foreign banks & insurance)

No personal income tax

VAT at 5% - one of the lowest rates globally

No restrictions on repatriation of money

131,564 business licenses issued in Abu Dhabi from the start of 2019 until the middle of May 2019, representing an increase of 4.3% compared to December 2018. Of these, 26,879 were Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), 17,706 were branches and the rest were others (WAM News Agency).

Quality​ road network, new ports, expanding airports, rail network (Al Dhafra) and Hyperloop (planned to link Abu Dhabi to Dubai and Al Ain to Abu Dhabi).

Modern business centres, world-renowned shopping malls, state of the art commercial buildings and fully connected industrial zones.

Commercial Companies Law

UAE Trademark Law

Bankruptcy Law

Foreign Investment Law

Import / Export Controls

Agreements in place with 94 nations to avoid double taxation on overseas investments.

FDI inflow into the UAE in 2018 was AED10 billion targetting a range of sectors from oil and gas to digital technologies (UNCTAD)

The bulk of Abu Dhabi's FDI is in trade, real estate, finance and insurance, manufacturing and construction (Santander)

The UK, India and the US are the top three countries from which FDI flowed into the UAE in 2016 (Santander)

The UAE ranks 1st globally in internet and telephony level of competition (2019 Knowledge Index Report)

The UAE ranks 5th globally for ICT price basket, internet and telephony level of competitiveness and laws relating to ICT (2019, Sector Competitive Index for Informations & Communications Technology Inputs).

9 ports in Abu Dhabi

Khalifa Port supports 25 shipping lines with direct links to over 70 destination ports globally (Abu Dhabi Ports)

Abu Dhabi Ports handles of 42,300 vessels, contributes AED19.6 billion non-oil GDP to Abu Dhabi and supports over 60,000 jobs (Abu Dhabi Ports)

Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal recorded over 329,000 passengers in 2017 (Abu Dhabi Ports).

Compulsory health insurance for everyone

More than 60 hospitals including Cleveland Clinic and Kings College Hospital London (2017 SCAD)

Literacy rate at 93.8% (2016 SCAD)

452 schools (SCAD) comprising public schools, private schools and higher education facilities including Paris-Sorbonne University, INSEAD, Repton School and New York University

25% of government expenditure is directed at education (ADIO).

A diverse array of leisure and entertainment attractions, inc. theme parks and sports facilities such as Ferarri World, Yas Marina Racing Circuit and Wadi Adventure

Cultural events, festivals and museums, inc. Abu Dhabi Art, The Louvre and Al Jahili Fort.