By 2035, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) could need approximately 11,600 new kindergartens and 116,000 additional educators, according to an Arthur D. Little analysis that identifies major opportunities for investment in early childhood education.
UAE Leads Regional Enrollment, Eyes Quality Expansion
The UAE holds the highest preprimary education participation rate in the GCC, with enrollment reaching approximately 82 percent. This places it closest among GCC countries to near-universal participation.
With enrollment already at relatively high levels, much of the UAE’s remaining early childhood education expansion opportunity lies in nursery provision for younger children. ADL said the country could build on its existing participation levels by strengthening education quality and expanding services across the earliest years of childhood.
Amr Kazimi, Principal at Arthur D. Little, said: “The UAE has established a strong position in early childhood participation, leading the GCC at approximately 82 percent. The next opportunity is to build on that foundation by continuing to strengthen quality and extending provision further into the earliest years.”
Saudi Arabia Drives Kindergarten Demand
Saudi Arabia is expected to account for approximately three-quarters of the additional kindergarten capacity required under ADL’s near-universal enrolment scenario. This makes the Kingdom the largest contributor to the region’s kindergarten expansion.
Read Also: UAE wealth to near $6 trillion by 2030
The consultancy estimated that the GCC has approximately 2.6 million children aged three to five. Its projections for additional kindergartens and educators are based on a scenario where the region achieves near-universal enrollment by 2035.
Qatar and Kuwait, while having comparatively favorable educator ratios, still have room to increase participation. Arthur D. Little also estimated that expanding formal education and childcare provision to younger children would significantly raise the regional requirement.
Under a separate scenario involving 40 percent nursery enrollment, the GCC would require approximately 40,000 early childhood institutions-combining kindergartens and nurseries-and 224,000 educators. These figures represent estimated requirements under ADL’s scenarios, rather than confirmed construction programmes or government recruitment commitments.
Economic Case Grows for Early Childhood Investment
Arthur D. Little argues that early childhood education should be treated as economic infrastructure due to its potential to improve child development and help parents join the workforce. The consultancy describes this as a “double return,” benefiting both future workforce capabilities and current employment participation.
The relationship is particularly relevant to GCC economic diversification and nationalisation strategies. In Saudi Arabia, female labour-force participation increased from 17 per cent in 2016 to 36 per cent in 2025, exceeding the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 target of 30 per cent, according to figures cited in the release.
Yigit Saf, Partner at Arthur D. Little, said: “Early childhood education should no longer be viewed simply as a social cost. For GCC economies, it has the characteristics of economic infrastructure and offers a rare double return.”
Read Also: UAE mother uses AI to guide son’s upbringing
Research cited in the ADL report suggests that high-quality, full early childhood programmes covering birth to age five can generate returns of approximately 13 per cent per child annually, equivalent to around $6 in benefits for every $1 invested. This compares with estimated returns of seven to 10 percent for preschool education alone.
Workforce and Quality Challenges Remain
Despite the potential economic benefits, early childhood education remains underfunded globally. Approximately 175 million children worldwide are not enrolled in preprimary education, while an average of 6.6 percent of education budgets goes to the subsector. UNICEF recommends allocating at least 10 percent of education spending to preprimary education.
Arthur D. Little identified three principal challenges GCC policymakers and education providers must address alongside expanding capacity: improving access, developing the workforce, and enhancing quality.
The consultancy recommended a more integrated approach covering the first 1,000 days of childhood, preprimary education between ages three and five, and the transition into primary school. Proposals included stronger coordination between education, healthcare, and labor authorities, investment in educator quality, appropriate child-to-staff ratios, greater parental involvement, and carefully governed use of AI-enabled learning and educator-support tools.
Kazimi said: “The opportunity now is to translate strong participation into deeper, high-quality provision across the full early childhood journey. By continuing to invest in the earliest years, the UAE can reinforce its regional leadership while strengthening the human-capital foundations that will support its economy for decades to come.”
