Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has approved a national programme aimed at modernising the use of statistics and data in the UAE.
The initiative, designed to reflect the changing nature of the economy, will change how GDP is measured by reconstructing the data that underpinned it from 2010 to 2026 and establishing 2024 as the new base year.
It will also integrate tax and administrative data to accurately reflect the growth of non-oil, digital and service sectors in alignment with UN standards.
The integration will involve a number of key national entities including the UAE Central Bank, Ministry of Finance, Federal Tax Authority, Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation, Emirates Investment Authority, and Etihad Water and Electricity.
It aims to enhance economic decision-making and boost investor confidence by providing a more precise, transparent and comprehensive picture of the national economy.
It will seek to achieve its targets through a package of initiatives, including the comprehensive national review of GDP, the national strategy for the statistics system, the national platform for statistical data, the statistical leadership development programme and the UAE Principles for Official Statistics document.