The top-15 global healthcare quality target requires the UAE to close the gap with advanced health systems in clinical outcomes, access, and efficiency. Starting from approximately 29th globally on the Healthcare Access and Quality Index in 2022, the target demands sustained improvement in chronic disease management, preventive care, specialist capacity, and health data infrastructure.
Target vs. Actual Performance
| Metric | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 (est.) | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAQ Index Rank | 29 | 27 | 24 | 22 | Top 15 |
| Life Expectancy (years) | 78.2 | 78.5 | 78.8 | 79.1 | 80.5+ |
| Infant Mortality (per 1,000) | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.0 |
| Hospital Bed Density (per 1,000) | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 2.5 |
| Physician Density (per 1,000) | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.0 | 3.5 |
| Healthcare Spend (% of GDP) | 4.2% | 4.4% | 4.6% | 4.8% | 5.5% |
Facility Expansion Tracker
| Project | Capacity | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Phase II | +200 beds | Abu Dhabi | Under construction |
| Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City expansion | +150 beds | Abu Dhabi | Operational 2025 |
| Mediclinic Parkview expansion | +120 beds | Dubai | Planning |
| NMC Royal Hospital Sharjah | +250 beds | Sharjah | Operational 2024 |
| RAK Hospital modernisation | +80 beds | Ras Al Khaimah | Under construction |
| Tawam Hospital digital upgrade | Digital infrastructure | Al Ain | Implementation |
Progress Rate Analysis
The UAE has made notable progress on the HAQ Index, climbing from 29th to an estimated 22nd between 2022 and 2025. This improvement reflects both investment in flagship medical facilities and regulatory reforms including mandatory health insurance expansion, clinical quality standards enforcement, and medical tourism infrastructure development.
The gains have been strongest in acute care and specialty services, where Abu Dhabi and Dubai now offer treatment capabilities comparable to leading European centres. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Mayo Clinic collaboration agreements, and King’s College Hospital Dubai represent institutional quality anchors that elevate the system’s upper tier.
The challenge lies in population-level health metrics. Chronic disease prevalence — particularly diabetes (affecting approximately 16 per cent of the adult population) and obesity (31 per cent) — places upward pressure on mortality statistics and drags composite health indices. Preventive care and public health outcomes require behaviour change at scale, which is slower to achieve than facility construction.
Risk Factors
| Risk | Severity | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Chronic disease prevalence | High | Caps outcome improvement on composite indices |
| Healthcare workforce retention | Medium | High turnover among expatriate medical staff |
| Insurance coverage gaps | Medium | Segments of population underserved |
| Primary care capacity | Medium | Over-reliance on hospital-based delivery |
| Mental health service deficit | Medium | Emerging demand outpacing supply |
Outlook
A top-15 HAQ ranking by 2031 is achievable but requires acceleration in primary care, chronic disease management, and population health outcomes alongside continued facility investment. The UAE’s healthcare strategy correctly identifies digital health, telemedicine, and genomics research as differentiators, but the basic public health metrics — diabetes prevalence, lifestyle disease burden, preventive screening rates — represent the binding constraint. The ranking trajectory suggests a top-15 position is realistic by 2029-2030 if current reform pace continues and chronic disease interventions show measurable results.
Current Assessment: On Track — requires acceleration in preventive care and chronic disease management.