His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, affirmed that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, continues to experience remarkable progress across all sectors, with the nation’s thriving non-oil foreign trade at the core of this growth, achieving consistent record-breaking results for several years.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade saw growth of 18.6 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of this year, reaching AED835 billion (global average is 2-3 percent). The nation’s non-oil exports experienced exceptional growth, surging by 41 percent annually.”
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed stated: “Our goal to grow non-oil foreign trade to AED4 trillion ($1.1 trillion) by 2031 will be achieved within the next two years; four years ahead of schedule. In 2024, GDP grew by 4 percent, reaching AED1.77 trillion, with the non-oil sector contributing 75.5 percent to the national economy.”
Read more: UAE foreign trade hits $1.42 trillion in 2024, up from $952.9 billion in 2021: WTO
Notable rise in re-exports
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed emphasized: “Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s economic growth is achieving unprecedented success. Indicators of social, economic, and strategic stability and prosperity are at their highest historical levels. We are confident in an even brighter future, driven by the focused efforts of thousands of dedicated teams working to realize the UAE’s global ambitions.”
The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade continued its upward trajectory in Q1 2025 (1 January to 31 March 2025), reaching AED835 billion, an 18.6 percent increase compared to Q1 2024, Dubai Media Office reported.
UAE non-oil exports continued to achieve historical growth rates, recording AED177.3 billion in Q1 2025, a 40.7 percent year-on-year increase (compared to Q1 2024) and a 15.7 percent quarter-on-quarter increase (compared to Q4 2024).
This robust growth propelled non-oil exports to over 21 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil foreign trade for the first time in the nation’s history, outpacing the growth of both imports and re-exports.
Re-exports saw a 6 percent annual increase, reaching AED189.1 billion. Imports grew by 17.2 percent year-on-year, reaching AED468.6 billion, but experienced a slight 1.7 percent decline compared to the previous quarter (Q4 of 2024).
Trade with the UAE’s top 10 trading partners continued to expand, growing by 20.2 percent in Q1 2025, compared to 16.9 percent growth with other countries. Trade grew with India by 31 percent, with Saudi Arabia by more than double at 127 percent, with Turkiye by 8.3 percent—surpassing previous records—and with China by 9.6 percent.
