The ongoing transmission of the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in the Middle East and its expansion to other regions are raising concerns of a potential pandemic. We collected data on MERS cases reported by WHO as of June 2020 supplemented by other reliable sources. Determinants for case fatality, spatial diffusion pattern, and associated socioenvironmental drivers were evaluated. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analyses were performed to examine the evolution and migration history of MERS-CoV. Based on confirmed MERS cases with animal contact reported to the WHO and records of animal infections found in the literature, we assessed ecological niches of MERS-CoV using an ensemble model integrating several machine learning algorithms. Finally, we used a recently developed statistical model to assess nosocomial transmissibility of MERS-CoV and the associated effects of age and gender in the absence of knowledge about the underlying susceptible population of hospital healthcare workers and patients.