RIYADH: The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar were ranked the most competitive Arab economies for the period between 2017 until 2020, according to a report launched by the Arab Monetary Fund. The fifth Arab economies competitiveness report showed that the UAE maintained its top ranking in the general index as it benefited from high scores in the business environment and infrastructure category as well as the organizational and government governance category. The Kingdom ranked second after having performed well in the overall economic index, the external activities sector and the official reserves index. Qatar followed in third place, after attaining first place in the real economy sector, the inflation index and GDP per capita index. Four Arab nations advanced in terms of competitiveness compared to the previous period, including Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, and Mauritania. Arab states and other non-Arab countries — such as Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey — are included also in the calculation of the index. The report monitors the economic competitiveness of Arab countries and sheds light on the economic and political measures applied by decision makers for that purpose.