TIME and Statista Unveil Arabia's Top Companies of 2026

TIME and Statista have released their inaugural "Arabia’s Top Companies 2026" report, a comprehensive analysis aimed at identifying the top-performing businesses across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The ranking is based on a rigorous methodology that evaluates companies across three key dimensions: Employee Satisfaction, Revenue Growth, and Sustainability Transparency (ESG). The study seeks to highlight companies that excel not only in financial performance but also in their commitment to their workforce and environmental, social, and governance principles.

Methodology

The evaluation process began with assessing Employee Satisfaction, drawing upon survey data from over 20,000 employees in the region. This included direct recommendations from verified employees and indirect evaluations from industry peers.

Revenue Growth was another critical factor, analyzed using Statista’s extensive revenue database, which tracks company performance over the past three years. To qualify for consideration, companies needed to have generated at least $50 million USD in revenue in 2025 and demonstrated consistent positive revenue growth during the preceding three-year period. Both relative and absolute growth metrics were taken into account.

The third dimension, Sustainability Transparency, was measured using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) data. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) were collected from Statista’s ESG Database and through targeted research. Environmental metrics included 2024 carbon emissions intensity, carbon reduction rates compared to 2022, and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) scores. Social aspects examined the proportion of women on boards of directors and the implementation of human rights policies.

Governance was assessed by the presence of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports adhering to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, as well as compliance or anti-corruption guidelines.

Scoring and Ranking

Data from all three dimensions were consolidated and integrated into a weighted scoring model. The scores from Employee Satisfaction, Revenue Growth, and Sustainability Transparency were combined on an equal percentage basis to determine a final ranking score, out of a possible 100 points. The 200 companies that achieved the highest scores were recognized as Arabia’s Top Companies 2026 by TIME and Statista.