UAE's non-oil foreign trade exceeds Dh3.8 trillion for first time in history

or the first time in its history, UAE's non-oil foreign trade has exceeded one trillion dollars (Dh3.8 trillion), with a 26 per cent increase over the previous year, Sheikh Mohammed announced on Saturday, January 31.

The Dubai ruler, who also serves as the UAE Vice President and Prime Minister, said that UAE's non-oil exports, according to a new report he reviewed on Saturday, have surpassed Dh813 billion, with an exceptional growth of 45 per cent over the previous year.

He added, “These figures were targets we announced three years ago to be achieved by 2031. We have realised 95 per cent of them five years ahead of schedule. Our investment environment is complete, our international partnerships have doubled, our partnerships with the private sector have been strengthened, and global confidence in the United Arab Emirates has been firmly established, thanks be to God.”

“We congratulate all our national teams. Our message to them is to double their efforts and further entrench partnerships with the private sector to build a better economic future," Sheikh Mohammed added.

In detail, the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached approximately AED3.8 trillion ($1.03 trillion) in 2025, recording growth of 27 percent compared to 2024 and 44.3 percent compared to 2023. It also achieved growth of 65 percent and 97.4 percent compared to 2022 and 2021 respectively, nearing double the value recorded in 2021 and exceeding twice the level of 2019.

In the final quarter of 2025, the UAE’s non-oil trade reached AED1.1 trillion for the first time in its history, marking growth of 33.1 percent. This performance was supported by record growth in non-oil exports, which amounted to AED 234.4 billion during the same period, an increase of 53.2 percent compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024 and 12 percent compared to the third quarter of 2025.

By the end of 2025, the contribution of exports rose to 21.6 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade for the first time, compared to 18.8 percent at the end of 2024, 16.5 percent in 2022, and just 14.1 percent six years ago in 2019.