[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · ARE · 2024
United Arab Emirates trade profile
In 2024, United Arab Emirates recorded $401.2B in merchandise exports and $379.9B in imports, producing a $21.3B trade surplus. Exports changed -10.4% from the previous year, while imports changed +7.1%.[1]
Exports
$401.2B
-10.4%
Imports
$379.9B
+7.1%
Trade balance
$21.3B
surplus
Active partners
270
16 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$150.3B
HS 27 · Mineral fuels and oils
43 active HS6 lines · 179 export partners
2$100.0B
HS 71 · Precious metals and stones
51 active HS6 lines · 159 export partners
3$30.8B
HS 84 · Machinery
515 active HS6 lines · 191 export partners
4$24.2B
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
262 active HS6 lines · 193 export partners
5$11.4B
HS 87 · Vehicles
87 active HS6 lines · 191 export partners
6$7.5B
HS 76 · HS chapter
35 active HS6 lines · 173 export partners
7$7.4B
HS 39 · HS chapter
129 active HS6 lines · 189 export partners
8$5.8B
HS 24 · HS chapter
10 active HS6 lines · 152 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from United Arab Emirates; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$47.7B
India
Annual change +21.3% · 3-year CAGR -1.2%
2$33.0B
Iraq
Annual change +45.3% · 3-year CAGR 32.3%
3$31.2B
Japan
Annual change -35.6% · 3-year CAGR -5.2%
4$28.4B
China
Annual change -39.4% · 3-year CAGR -9.0%
5$19.4B
Saudi Arabia
Annual change -1.3% · 3-year CAGR 5.8%
6$17.6B
Hong Kong
Annual change +27.3% · 3-year CAGR 21.0%
7$16.0B
South Korea
Annual change -22.9% · 3-year CAGR 22.8%
8$14.5B
Thailand
Annual change -31.7% · 3-year CAGR 5.8%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.