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United Arab Emirates trade in 2024

In 2024, the United Arab Emirates exported $310.9 billion and imported $309.7 billion, with nearly balanced trade. It was the world's 25th-largest exporter, with 1.4% of world exports. Its top export was crude petroleum (36.8% of the total) and its main trading partner was China (16.3% of its trade).

Summary

Exports
$310.9billion
Imports
$309.7billion
Trade balance
+$1.2billion
Routes to the main partners. Width: trade value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand
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Products

What it exports

Crude petroleum (36.8%) and gold (18.9%) together make up 55.7% of its exports.

  1. Crude petroleum$114.4 billion · 36.8%
    Main partner: Japan
  2. Gold$58.7 billion · 18.9%
    Main partner: India
  3. Refined petroleum$46.2 billion · 14.9%
    Main partner: South Korea
  4. Natural gas and LPG$14.6 billion · 4.7%
    Main partner: India
  5. Diamonds$7.8 billion · 2.5%
    Main partner: India
  6. Unwrought aluminum$7.4 billion · 2.4%
    Main partner: United States
  7. Jewelry$4.9 billion · 1.6%
    Main partner: Hong Kong
  8. Polyethylene$4 billion · 1.3%
    Main partner: China
  9. Copper wire$2.5 billion · 0.8%
    Main partner: India
  10. Silver$2.1 billion · 0.68%
    Main partner: India

What it imports

Gold (10.5%) and cameras and broadcast equipment (9.1%) together make up 19.6% of its imports.

  1. Gold$32.6 billion · 10.5%
    Main partner: Switzerland
  2. Cameras and broadcast equipment$28.2 billion · 9.1%
    Main partner: Hong Kong
  3. Cars$20.6 billion · 6.7%
    Main partner: China
  4. Jewelry$16.5 billion · 5.3%
    Main partner: India
  5. Refined petroleum$10.7 billion · 3.5%
    Main partner: India
  6. Diamonds$10.2 billion · 3.3%
    Main partner: Hong Kong
  7. Computers$7.5 billion · 2.4%
    Main partner: China
  8. Auto parts$4.3 billion · 1.4%
    Main partner: China
  9. Turbojets and gas turbines$4.1 billion · 1.3%
    Main partner: United Kingdom
  10. Airplanes and helicopters$3.2 billion · 1%
    Main partner: India

Its products

Destinations and sources of its products that have their own page.

By Harmonized System chapter (96)
ChapterExportsImports
27 · Oil, gas and coal$176.7 billion$14.1 billion
71 · Gems and precious metals$75.9 billion$62.3 billion
76 · Aluminum$8.5 billion$1.7 billion
39 · Plastics$7.5 billion$6.9 billion
84 · Mechanical machinery$4.1 billion$37.1 billion
74 · Copper$4 billion$1 billion
85 · Electrical and electronic equipment$3.9 billion$46.5 billion
73 · Iron and steel products$3.2 billion$5.9 billion
25 · Salt, stone and cement$2.6 billion$354 million
88 · Aircraft and spacecraft$2.4 billion$4.3 billion
33 · Perfumes and cosmetics$2.2 billion$4.4 billion
72 · Iron and steel$2.1 billion$5.1 billion
29 · Organic chemicals$1.3 billion$3.6 billion
87 · Vehicles$1.2 billion$30 billion
31 · Fertilizers$967 million$143 million
15 · Fats and oils$825 million$1.2 billion
48 · Paper and paperboard$769 million$2.3 billion
89 · Ships and boats$660 million$6.7 billion
94 · Furniture and lighting$563 million$3.9 billion
90 · Precision and medical instruments$541 million$5.3 billion
26 · Ores and slag$522 million$785 million
19 · Baked goods and cereal products$518 million$1.2 billion
38 · Miscellaneous chemicals$485 million$1.9 billion
32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents$388 million$2.1 billion
30 · Pharmaceuticals$374 million$4.3 billion
21 · Food preparations$374 million$1.4 billion
24 · Tobacco$363 million$1.4 billion
10 · Cereals$350 million$1.1 billion
40 · Rubber$347 million$2.9 billion
28 · Inorganic chemicals$340 million$2.1 billion
70 · Glass$339 million$1.2 billion
17 · Sugar and sweets$328 million$1.5 billion
09 · Coffee, tea and spices$328 million$1.4 billion
16 · Prepared meat and fish$325 million$411 million
08 · Fruit and nuts$316 million$2.5 billion
23 · Animal feed and food waste$310 million$408 million
91 · Watches and clocks$310 million$2.2 billion
34 · Soap and cleaning products$293 million$1.1 billion
68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles$268 million$855 million
62 · Woven clothing$256 million$2.8 billion
69 · Ceramics$250 million$880 million
83 · Miscellaneous metal goods$232 million$1.1 billion
03 · Fish and seafood$230 million$580 million
04 · Dairy, eggs and honey$216 million$1.8 billion
61 · Knitted clothing$214 million$2.7 billion
07 · Vegetables$191 million$1.2 billion
20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables$189 million$758 million
22 · Beverages and spirits$160 million$1.7 billion
63 · Home textiles and used clothing$149 million$1.1 billion
82 · Tools and cutlery$142 million$796 million
78 · Lead$139 million$142 million
49 · Books and printed matter$138 million$223 million
57 · Carpets and rugs$134 million$333 million
64 · Footwear$123 million$2.1 billion
97 · Art and antiques$115 million$355 million
18 · Cocoa and chocolate$110 million$654 million
54 · Synthetic filaments$96 million$1.6 billion
11 · Milling products and malt$93 million$104 million
47 · Wood pulp$77 million$361 million
95 · Toys and sports gear$74 million$1.9 billion
42 · Leather goods and bags$68 million$1.6 billion
44 · Wood$63 million$1.3 billion
12 · Oilseeds and grains$60 million$991 million
02 · Meat and offal$57 million$3.1 billion
86 · Railway equipment$54 million$351 million
35 · Glues, starches and enzymes$51 million$283 million
01 · Live animals$49 million$133 million
60 · Knitted fabric$48 million$362 million
79 · Zinc$48 million$249 million
56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope$44 million$257 million
59 · Coated and technical textiles$43 million$208 million
75 · Nickel$37 million$340 million
96 · Other manufactured goods$29 million$658 million
55 · Synthetic staple fibers$18 million$831 million
80 · Tin$17 million$50 million
65 · Hats$17 million$122 million
37 · Photographic goods$15 million$76 million
81 · Other base metals$10 million$115 million
06 · Live plants and flowers$7 million$168 million
93 · Weapons and ammunition$6 million$841 million
41 · Hides and leather$6 million$46 million
67 · Feathers and artificial flowers$5 million$91 million
46 · Wicker and basketware$5 million$21 million
13 · Gums and plant extracts$4 million$49 million
92 · Musical instruments$4 million$79 million
36 · Explosives and matches$4 million$23 million
58 · Special fabrics and lace$4 million$213 million
52 · Cotton$4 million$358 million
43 · Fur and fur goods$3 million$29 million
66 · Umbrellas and canes$3 million$30 million
45 · Cork$2 million$5 million
14 · Other plant products$1 million$6 million
51 · Wool$711 thousand$42 million
05 · Other animal products$407 thousand$9 million
53 · Other plant fibers$333 thousand$28 million
50 · Silk$329 thousand$91 million

Trading partners

Its main destination is India (17.9% of exports) and its main source is China (20.9% of imports).

Who it sells to

PartnerValue (USD billions)ShareMode
IndiaTrade with India55.717.9%Air
JapanTrade with Japan36.811.8%Sea
ChinaTrade with China36.311.7%Sea
Hong KongTrade with Hong Kong19.76.4%Air
South KoreaTrade with South Korea17.95.8%Sea
ThailandTrade with Thailand17.45.6%Sea
SwitzerlandTrade with Switzerland13.14.2%Air
SingaporeTrade with Singapore12.84.1%Sea
Saudi ArabiaTrade with Saudi Arabia12.44%Land
TurkeyTrade with Turkey7.42.4%Air

Who it buys from

PartnerValue (USD billions)ShareMode
ChinaTrade with China64.720.9%Sea
IndiaTrade with India37.112%Sea
United StatesTrade with the United States22.27.2%Air
Saudi ArabiaTrade with Saudi Arabia18.76%Land
Hong KongTrade with Hong Kong14.54.7%Air
United KingdomTrade with the United Kingdom12.24%Air
SwitzerlandTrade with Switzerland11.33.6%Air
GermanyTrade with Germany10.33.3%Sea
JapanTrade with Japan8.42.7%Sea
TurkeyTrade with Turkey8.22.7%Air

Overview 1995–2024

In 2024, the United Arab Emirates accounted for 1.4% of world exports, compared with 0.38% in 1995.

Exports and imports

Exports grew 16-fold since 1995

USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 311
  • Imports 310
  • Balance +1.2

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$19.3 billion$22.5 billion-$3.2 billion
1996$23 billion$24.1 billion-$1 billion
1997$26.5 billion$26 billion$500 million
1998$21.3 billion$28.2 billion-$6.9 billion
1999$24 billion$28.5 billion-$4.4 billion
2000$35.8 billion$31.9 billion$3.9 billion
2001$34.8 billion$36 billion-$1.2 billion
2002$33.6 billion$42.2 billion-$8.7 billion
2003$45.7 billion$52.2 billion-$6.4 billion
2004$62.3 billion$65.2 billion-$3 billion
2005$91 billion$78.4 billion$12.6 billion
2006$100.6 billion$106 billion-$5.3 billion
2007$131.4 billion$121.9 billion$9.6 billion
2008$182.6 billion$167.4 billion$15.2 billion
2009$103.7 billion$138.1 billion-$34.4 billion
2010$162.3 billion$157 billion$5.3 billion
2011$219.2 billion$193.2 billion$26 billion
2012$283.3 billion$247.8 billion$35.4 billion
2013$271.5 billion$208.8 billion$62.7 billion
2014$260.6 billion$213.6 billion$46.9 billion
2015$189.8 billion$206 billion-$16.2 billion
2016$181.5 billion$207.8 billion-$26.3 billion
2017$223.3 billion$269.5 billion-$46.2 billion
2018$253.2 billion$255.8 billion-$2.6 billion
2019$254.8 billion$264.2 billion-$9.4 billion
2020$212.9 billion$227.8 billion-$14.9 billion
2021$306.4 billion$284.2 billion$22.2 billion
2022$418.3 billion$340.8 billion$77.4 billion
2023$376.5 billion$391.6 billion-$15.1 billion
2024$310.9 billion$309.7 billion$1.2 billion

World rank

The United Arab Emirates rose from 40th to 25th among the world's exporters

Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).

  • 40th in 1995
  • 25th in 2024

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearRank
199540th
199639th
199737th
199841st
199941st
200034th
200136th
200238th
200337th
200436th
200529th
200630th
200730th
200826th
200932nd
201025th
201125th
201217th
201321st
201422nd
201525th
201626th
201725th
201824th
201924th
202025th
202123rd
202219th
202321st
202425th

What it sells

Its top export group is still oil, gas and coal: 57% in 2024

% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.

  • Other 9%
  • Iron and steel products 1%
  • Electrical and electronic equipment 1%
  • Copper 1%
  • Mechanical machinery 1%
  • Plastics 2%
  • Aluminum 3%
  • Gems and precious metals 24%
  • Oil, gas and coal 57%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Chapter19952024
Oil, gas and coal77.6%56.8%
Gems and precious metals1.9%24.4%
Aluminum2.8%2.8%
Plastics0.99%2.4%
Mechanical machinery1.7%1.3%
Copper0.33%1.3%
Electrical and electronic equipment1.1%1.3%
Iron and steel products0.35%1%
Other13.3%8.7%

Who it trades with

Japan went from 29% to 7% of the United Arab Emirates' trade

% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.

  • China 16%
  • India 15%
  • Japan 7%
  • Hong Kong 6%
  • Saudi Arabia 5%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
China2.9%16.3%
India6.3%15%
Japan29.3%7.3%
Hong Kong3.8%5.5%
Saudi Arabia2.5%5%

Production hubs

Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)

  • Rub al Khali basin (conventional onshore)Oil and gas · 45 Mt CO₂e
  • Rub al Khali basin (conventional offshore)Oil and gas · 41.6 Mt CO₂e
  • Rub al Khali basin (sour gas)Oil and gas · 22.9 Mt CO₂e
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Largest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)

  • Dubai$250.9 billion (PPP, 2021 dollars)
  • Abu Dhabi$176.1 billion (PPP, 2021 dollars)
  • Al Ayn$165.3 billion (PPP, 2021 dollars)
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Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.

Neighboring countries

Main partners

See all countries