The research "Best Arab Companies of 2026" is a comprehensive analysis aimed at identifying the best-performing companies in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This study is conducted based on three main dimensions: employee satisfaction, revenue growth, and transparency in sustainability (ESG).
Employee Satisfaction
The first dimension, employee satisfaction, was examined based on survey data from a large sample of over 20,000 employees in the region. The assessment included direct recommendations from verified employees as well as indirect evaluations from industry peers.
Revenue Growth
The second dimension, revenue growth, was assessed using Statista's revenue database, which includes data on company growth over the past three years. Companies had to meet specific criteria for evaluation, including generating at least $50 million in revenue in 2025. Additionally, companies had to demonstrate positive revenue growth over the past three years. Both relative and absolute growth were considered in the assessment.
Transparency in Sustainability
The third dimension, transparency in sustainability, was evaluated based on ESG data from Statista's ESG database and targeted data research. To form a comprehensive ESG index, several key performance indicators were collected. For environmental assessment, this included the intensity and rate of carbon emission reduction in 2024 compared to 2022, as well as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) score. The social dimension evaluated the proportion of women on the board and the existence of human rights policies.
Management and Social Responsibility
The governance dimension assessed whether the company reported on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines and whether there was guidance for compliance or anti-corruption.
After collecting and evaluating the data, these data were aggregated and weighted into a scoring model. The scores of all three dimensions were summed equally as a percentage to form the final ranking score with a maximum of 100 points. The 200 companies that achieved the highest scores were introduced as the best Arab companies of 2026 by TIME and Statista.
