The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reported a substantial increase in its non-oil foreign trade, achieving a record growth of 24 percent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year. This surge highlights the country’s robust economic performance amidst a backdrop of global trade growth averaging only 1.75 percent.
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His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, emphasized the significance of the recent trade numbers on his X account. He highlighted that the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached AED1.7 trillion ($462.8 billion) in the first half of the year, which is double the figures from just five years ago.
“These figures reflect the strength of our global economic partnerships and the unprecedented growth of the UAE, under the leadership of my brother, Mohamed bin Zayed,” he added. “They are also a promise that the future will be even more beautiful and greater.”
In the first half of 2024, the UAE’s non-oil trade soared to new heights, with international commerce in sectors outside oil and gas reaching a remarkable AED1.395 trillion ($379.81 billion). This achievement marks a 11.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, highlighting the nation’s commitment to economic diversification.
Record non-oil exports growth
The UAE’s non-oil exports reached AED369.5 billion during the first half of 2025, marking a remarkable growth rate of more than 44.7 percent—the first time in the nation’s history—alongside a staggering growth rate of 80 percent when compared to the first half of 2023. This figure is more than double the value of non-oil exports in 2022, more than twice that of 2021, and three times larger than those recorded in both 2020 and 2019. Notably, non-oil exports surged during the first half of 2025 at an unprecedented rate of 210.3 percent compared to the same period in 2019, Dubai Media Office reported.
Non-oil exports were the standout performers among the UAE’s foreign trade during the first half of 2025, contributing 21.4 percent to the UAE’s total non-oil trade. This figure exceeded contributions from the first halves of both 2024 and 2023, which were 18.4 percent and 16.4 percent, respectively.
Among the top 10 recipients of the UAE’s non-oil exports, CEPA partners accounted for AED85.02 billion, reflecting a growth of 62.8 percent and representing a 23 percent share of the UAE’s non-oil exports. India received AED51.45 billion, a remarkable growth of 97.6 percent compared to the same period in 2024, followed by Türkiye, which received AED27.2 billion and experienced a growth of 24.1 percent. Exports to these ten countries, where CEPAs were established, increased threefold compared to the exports recorded in 2022 and 2021, and exceeded four times the exports of 2019.
The value of re-exports also maintained its upward trend, reaching AED389 billion during the first half of 2025, with growth rates of 14 percent, 15.8 percent, and 25.4 percent compared to the same periods in 2024, 2023, and 2022, respectively. Re-exports from the top 10 partner nations recorded a growth of 16.5 percent, while re-exports from the rest of the world grew by 12 percent compared to the first half of 2024.
Growth from key trading partners
The UAE’s imports of non-oil goods amounted to AED969.3 billion during the first half of 2025, reflecting a growth rate of 22.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Imports from the top 10 trading partners increased by 20.8 percent, while imports from the rest of the world rose by 24.3 percent.
The UAE’s non-oil trade with the country’s top 10 trading partners around the globe continued its upward trajectory in the first half of 2025, achieving a growth of 25.5 percent and a 23.6 percent increase with the remaining countries.
Trade with India saw an increase of 33.9 percent, with China rising by 15.6 percent, with Switzerland surging by 120 percent, and with Saudi Arabia growing by 21.3 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Trade with Türkiye saw a rise of 41.4 percent, while the UAE’s non-oil trade with the United States of America grew by 29 percent, securing its position as the sixth among the country’s top 10 trading partners globally. France also made its debut in the top 10 list during the first half of 2025.
