Forbes Middle East yesterday revealed the eighth annual edition of its '30Under30' list for 2025, which spotlights the next generation of young leaders, creators, innovators, and change-makers under the age of 30 in the region. Forbes stated in a press release that 34 out of the 113 individuals on the list (30%) reside in the United Arab Emirates. The list from the UAE includes six young entrepreneurs and leaders: Fatima Al Shamsi, a PhD student at Khalifa University and KU Leuven; Jawaher Al Amiri, a senior researcher and head of the Laser Systems Engineering Department at the Technology Innovation Institute in Abu Dhabi; Noura Al Murri, a researcher, CEO, and co-founder of 'BioHarv'; Safia Al Hashemi, an assistant professor and researcher in mechanical engineering at New York University Abu Dhabi; Sara Al Amiri, an activist in the sustainability field; and Ahmed bin Abdulrahman Al Ghaitha, a legal advisor to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and chairman of the Arab Youth Climate Change Council. Forbes reported that these pioneers are redefining success in the Middle East and North Africa, from athletes achieving historic feats to researchers pushing the boundaries of science to new horizons. This year's list features 90 participants representing 113 individuals, distributed across three main categories: 'Commerce & Finance,' 'Social Impact, Sports & Lifestyle,' and 'Science & Technology.' The 'Commerce & Finance' category is the largest with 42 individuals, followed by 'Social Impact, Sports & Lifestyle' with 36, and 'Science & Technology' with 35. Forbes Middle East's list for this year includes 113 young men and women from 24 nationalities. Egyptians dominate the list with 19 individuals, followed by Saudis with 18, Lebanese with 15, and Emiratis and Jordanians with six each. The young people on the list reside in 18 countries, with the UAE hosting 34 of them, 25 in Saudi Arabia, 15 in Egypt, and 11 in Lebanon. The average age of the young people featured on the list is 26.9 years. Forbes Middle East also outlined its eligibility criteria for the 2025 list, requiring candidates to be under 30 years of age as of December 31, 2024 (born in 1995 or later). Participation was open to all nationalities, provided that the companies or initiatives led by the candidates focused on serving residents of the Middle East and North Africa. If a company had more than one founder under 30 who were selected for the list, they were counted as a single nominee. The list was compiled alphabetically. Precise evaluation and qualitative criteria. Forbes Middle East confirmed that it conducted a rigorous evaluation to identify the most promising young talents in the region. Candidates could be nominated by themselves or by others. After multiple rounds, nearly 200 candidates were selected, and then external experts with experience in various sectors reviewed the nominations and recommended the final list. The evaluation combined qualitative and quantitative criteria, taking into account the candidates' impact on sectors, markets, and communities, as well as their tangible achievements, such as funding amounts, revenues, awards received, deal values, audience reach, and social media presence.
