The UAE has emerged as the leader in women’s representation on public company boards within the GCC, according to a new report by Heriot-Watt University in collaboration with Aurora50.

The second edition of the GCC Board Gender Index reveals that women now occupy 14.8% of board seats in the UAE—185 out of 1,248—up from 10.8% in 2024, reflecting a 37% year-on-year increase.

The report shows a significant increase in female board representation across the region since 2024, with the GCC average reaching 6.8% as of January 2025, up from 5.2% the previous year. The UAE leads the way, followed by Bahrain (8.5%), Oman (6.6%), Kuwait (5.5%), Saudi Arabia (2.9%), and Qatar (2.8%).

Launched annually in April, the index is a regional benchmark for tracking progress and identifying opportunities to enhance gender diversity in corporate governance. It comes amid growing commitments from public companies to adopt more inclusive leadership practices.

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Director of Aurora50, emphasized the UAE’s remarkable progress, noting that in 2020, women held just 3.5% of board seats.

“As we celebrate our fifth anniversary, it is encouraging to see this number rise more than fourfold,” she said. “Tracking this progress is vital to building and sustaining a strong pipeline of female talent at all levels.”

Professor Heather McGregor, Provost and Vice Principal of Heriot-Watt University Dubai, emphasized the importance of credible data in driving and supporting this evolution. “The UAE’s notable progress represents a crucial step toward achieving gender parity on boards,” she said, adding that Heriot-Watt remains committed to advancing this research in partnership with Aurora50.