Image: Getty Images/ For illustrative purposes
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.
Read:Â Dubai trumps Lisbon as top destination for globetrotting executives, reveals report
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