The United Arab Emirates ranked 27/197 by economy size with a GDP of $552B and 24/197 by GDP per capita at $50,274. The United Arab Emirates has $177B in government debt, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 32.6%.
In 2026, the United Arab Emirates made up 0.5% of the world's economy, compared to 0.02% in 1970.
The chart below shows GDP in nominal terms, GDP adjusted for inflation (in constant dollars), and a bar chart of year-over-year inflation-adjusted growth.
| Year | GDP | GDP growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current $ | Constant $ | ||
| 1970 | $685,986,701 | $13,966,072,153 | - |
| 1971 | $939,893,600 | $19,079,383,260 | 37% |
| 1972 | $1,415,086,929 | $26,535,537,093 | 50.6% |
| 1973 | $4,231,243,616 | $46,867,106,753 | 199% |
| 1974 | $11,651,505,689 | $53,661,919,231 | 175.4% |
| 1975 | $14,720,728,249 | $57,003,662,335 | 26.3% |
| 1976 | $19,213,158,779 | $66,424,575,812 | 30.5% |
| 1977 | $24,871,775,165 | $80,665,559,934 | 29.5% |
| 1978 | $23,775,764,225 | $79,383,297,516 | -4.41% |
| 1979 | $31,225,659,621 | $95,993,119,782 | 31.3% |
| 1980 | $43,599,160,050 | $118,911,261,060 | 39.6% |
| 1981 | $49,333,424,135 | $124,451,546,798 | 13.2% |
| 1982 | $46,622,718,605 | $116,089,253,871 | -5.49% |
| 1983 | $42,803,323,345 | $110,579,866,030 | -8.19% |
| 1984 | $41,807,954,236 | $115,021,805,373 | -2.33% |
| 1985 | $40,603,650,232 | $110,887,373,589 | -2.88% |
| 1986 | $33,943,612,095 | $94,300,688,815 | -16.4% |
| 1987 | $36,384,908,744 | $97,489,920,862 | 7.19% |
| 1988 | $36,275,674,203 | $94,936,749,814 | -0.3% |
| 1989 | $41,464,995,914 | $106,649,942,793 | 14.3% |
| 1990 | $50,701,443,748 | $126,196,728,880 | 22.3% |
| 1991 | $51,552,165,622 | $127,282,124,164 | 1.68% |
| 1992 | $54,239,171,888 | $131,539,641,032 | 5.21% |
| 1993 | $55,625,170,253 | $133,198,607,074 | 2.56% |
| 1994 | $59,305,093,980 | $142,384,180,889 | 6.62% |
| 1995 | $65,743,666,576 | $151,906,673,244 | 10.9% |
| 1996 | $73,571,233,996 | $160,714,835,967 | 11.9% |
| 1997 | $78,839,008,445 | $173,878,021,721 | 7.16% |
| 1998 | $75,674,336,283 | $174,385,735,706 | -4.01% |
| 1999 | $84,445,473,111 | $179,446,782,313 | 11.6% |
| 2000 | $104,337,372,362 | $198,921,610,822 | 23.6% |
| 2001 | $103,311,640,572 | $201,704,693,314 | -0.98% |
| 2002 | $109,816,201,498 | $206,613,089,912 | 6.3% |
| 2003 | $124,346,358,067 | $224,796,159,216 | 13.2% |
| 2004 | $147,824,370,320 | $246,301,141,351 | 18.9% |
| 2005 | $180,617,467,965 | $258,259,409,530 | 22.2% |
| 2006 | $222,116,541,865 | $283,665,213,479 | 23% |
| 2007 | $257,916,133,424 | $292,698,220,662 | 16.1% |
| 2008 | $315,474,615,739 | $302,040,668,641 | 22.3% |
| 2009 | $253,547,358,747 | $286,204,912,266 | -19.6% |
| 2010 | $307,736,419,333 | $290,792,347,836 | 21.4% |
| 2011 | $368,881,143,635 | $310,381,480,914 | 19.9% |
| 2012 | $392,793,464,942 | $324,917,470,355 | 6.48% |
| 2013 | $409,632,675,289 | $340,898,464,871 | 4.29% |
| 2014 | $424,935,874,745 | $356,691,886,613 | 3.74% |
| 2015 | $381,973,042,886 | $381,973,042,886 | -10.1% |
| 2016 | $381,717,086,453 | $403,584,822,847 | -0.07% |
| 2017 | $403,365,010,211 | $399,301,267,917 | 5.67% |
| 2018 | $440,560,108,918 | $405,439,194,566 | 9.22% |
| 2019 | $433,926,208,305 | $410,593,714,984 | -1.51% |
| 2020 | $357,161,878,829 | $374,899,053,477 | -17.7% |
| 2021 | $422,441,388,700 | $391,967,404,019 | 18.3% |
| 2022 | $511,403,403,676 | $421,421,732,891 | 21.1% |
| 2023 | $522,622,191,967 | $439,547,849,791 | 2.19% |
| 2024 | $552,324,846,835 | $457,093,751,869 | 5.68% |
Economic Statistics of the United Arab Emirates
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$552B
2024 |
27/197 |
| GDP growth |
5.68%
2023-2024 |
98/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$50,274
2024 |
24/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$79,229
2024 |
16/197 |
| Government debt |
$177B
2024 |
44/185 |
| Debt-to-GDP ratio |
32.6%
2026 |
157/185 |
| Government debt per person |
$16,145
2024 |
38/185 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$40,921
2026 |
15/197 |
| Listed domestic companies |
154
2024 |
40/103 |
| Market capitalization of domestic companies |
$1.05T
2024 |
14/100 |
| Number of millionaires |
202,201
2024 |
24/34 |
| Millionaire frequency |
1 in 43
2024 |
19/34 |
| Number of billionaires |
6
2025 |
44/78 |
| Billionaire frequency |
1 in 1,452,577
2025 |
38/78 |
| Income share by richest 10% |
20.5%
2018 |
168/169 |
| Income share by poorest 10% |
2.8%
2018 |
91/169 |
| Government expenditure, % of GDP |
24%
2026 |
127/195 |
| Consumer prices inflation |
2%
2025-2026 |
148/195 |
| Central bank interest rate |
4.15%
2025 |
75/105 |
| Unemployment rate |
1.88%
2024 |
174/196 |
| Population |
11533895
|
86/197 |
United Arab Emirates' GDP per capita
The United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274, ranking 24/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $79,229, ranking 16/197, and a median annual after tax income of $40,921, ranking 15/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1970 | $2,394 | - |
| 1971 | $2,805 | - |
| 1972 | $3,675 | - |
| 1973 | $9,696 | - |
| 1974 | $23,823 | - |
| 1975 | $27,117 | - |
| 1976 | $31,197 | - |
| 1977 | $35,020 | - |
| 1978 | $29,379 | - |
| 1979 | $34,238 | - |
| 1980 | $42,925 | - |
| 1981 | $44,854 | - |
| 1982 | $39,972 | - |
| 1983 | $34,650 | - |
| 1984 | $32,012 | - |
| 1985 | $29,468 | - |
| 1986 | $23,132 | - |
| 1987 | $23,113 | - |
| 1988 | $21,570 | - |
| 1989 | $23,167 | - |
| 1990 | $26,710 | $88,455 |
| 1991 | $25,691 | $87,250 |
| 1992 | $25,648 | $87,509 |
| 1993 | $25,033 | $86,330 |
| 1994 | $25,473 | $89,959 |
| 1995 | $27,003 | $93,702 |
| 1996 | $28,323 | $94,620 |
| 1997 | $27,983 | $96,009 |
| 1998 | $24,889 | $90,229 |
| 1999 | $25,856 | $87,658 |
| 2000 | $29,866 | $92,899 |
| 2001 | $27,745 | $90,370 |
| 2002 | $27,754 | $88,467 |
| 2003 | $29,660 | $92,636 |
| 2004 | $33,377 | $98,661 |
| 2005 | $38,719 | $101,301 |
| 2006 | $44,343 | $106,814 |
| 2007 | $45,855 | $100,813 |
| 2008 | $50,054 | $94,628 |
| 2009 | $37,803 | $84,780 |
| 2010 | $44,795 | $85,120 |
| 2011 | $51,922 | $89,665 |
| 2012 | $53,142 | $89,198 |
| 2013 | $53,247 | $87,526 |
| 2014 | $52,725 | $87,478 |
| 2015 | $44,910 | $73,986 |
| 2016 | $42,721 | $69,987 |
| 2017 | $43,734 | $70,282 |
| 2018 | $47,135 | $77,446 |
| 2019 | $45,939 | $79,816 |
| 2020 | $37,992 | $66,791 |
| 2021 | $44,119 | $68,580 |
| 2022 | $50,760 | $75,072 |
| 2023 | $49,851 | $77,955 |
| 2024 | $50,274 | $79,229 |
United Arab Emirates' government spending, deficit, and chart
This chart shows the United Arab Emirates' government spending, budget balance, and debt over time, each expressed as a share of GDP.
Over the past 36 years, the United Arab Emirates recorded a fiscal deficit in 8 years — average annual surplus equal to +4.15% of GDP. In 2024, government spending reached $128B (24% of GDP), with a surplus of +2.93%.
The national debt reached $177B, ranking 44th out of 185 countries by total size, with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 32.6%, ranking 157th.
| Year | % of GDP | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | Government debt | Government deficit/surplus | |
| 1991 | 36% | 4.97% | 3.89% |
| 1992 | 29.6% | 5.31% | 3.34% |
| 1993 | 31.5% | 6.01% | -2.89% |
| 1994 | 30.1% | 5.58% | -1.78% |
| 1995 | 26.1% | 5.06% | 3.58% |
| 1996 | 27.6% | 3.48% | 0.92% |
| 1997 | 22.6% | 2.86% | 6.71% |
| 1998 | 25.8% | 4.18% | 1% |
| 1999 | 24.3% | 4.73% | 1.31% |
| 2000 | 21.8% | 3.12% | 10.7% |
| 2001 | 25.2% | 2.69% | 1.21% |
| 2002 | 21.3% | 3.43% | -1.24% |
| 2003 | 20% | 3.33% | 2.35% |
| 2004 | 17.7% | 4.08% | 6.4% |
| 2005 | 15.7% | 4.48% | 16% |
| 2006 | 15.6% | 5.05% | 20.2% |
| 2007 | 17.7% | 8.89% | 17.1% |
| 2008 | 22% | 8.95% | 17.6% |
| 2009 | 35% | 21.1% | -6.13% |
| 2010 | 31.1% | 18.8% | 0.53% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | 20.9% | 5.17% |
| 2012 | 28.4% | 20.7% | 8.77% |
| 2013 | 29.6% | 15.6% | 8.18% |
| 2014 | 32.2% | 13.8% | 1.79% |
| 2015 | 27.2% | 16.1% | -6.56% |
| 2016 | 32.8% | 19.3% | -3.05% |
| 2017 | 28.1% | 21.9% | -0.16% |
| 2018 | 26.7% | 21.3% | 3.77% |
| 2019 | 28.4% | 26.8% | 2.59% |
| 2020 | 31.1% | 41.3% | -2.47% |
| 2021 | 26.4% | 36.3% | 4.03% |
| 2022 | 23.1% | 32.1% | 9.97% |
| 2023 | 23% | 32.4% | 5.91% |
| 2024 | 23.2% | 32.1% | 4.83% |
| 2025 | 24% | 32.8% | 2.89% |
| 2026 | 24% | 32.6% | 2.93% |
Inflation rate by year
Over the past 20 years, the United Arab Emirates has had an average annual inflation rate of 2.15%. In 2026, inflation was 2%. The bar chart below shows consumer price inflation by year.
| Year | Inflation |
|---|---|
| 1980 | 10.1% |
| 1981 | 7.9% |
| 1982 | 7.1% |
| 1983 | 1.3% |
| 1984 | 2.4% |
| 1985 | 3.5% |
| 1986 | 5.4% |
| 1987 | 5.5% |
| 1988 | 5% |
| 1989 | 2.8% |
| 1990 | 0.6% |
| 1991 | 3.4% |
| 1992 | 6.4% |
| 1993 | 5.3% |
| 1994 | 5.7% |
| 1995 | 4.3% |
| 1996 | 3% |
| 1997 | 3% |
| 1998 | 2% |
| 1999 | 2.1% |
| 2000 | 1.3% |
| 2001 | 2.8% |
| 2002 | 2.9% |
| 2003 | 3.1% |
| 2004 | 5% |
| 2005 | 6.2% |
| 2006 | 9.3% |
| 2007 | 11.1% |
| 2008 | 12.3% |
| 2009 | -4.7% |
| 2010 | 0.9% |
| 2011 | 0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.7% |
| 2013 | 1.1% |
| 2014 | 2.3% |
| 2015 | 4.1% |
| 2016 | 1.6% |
| 2017 | 2% |
| 2018 | 3.1% |
| 2019 | -1.9% |
| 2020 | -2.1% |
| 2021 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 4.8% |
| 2023 | 1.6% |
| 2024 | 1.7% |
| 2025 | 1.6% |
| 2026 | 2% |
Balance of trade
|
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Current account balance
|
$80B
2024 |
9/190 |
| Current account balance, % of GDP |
+14.5%
2024 |
12/190 |
| Goods imports |
$400B
2024 |
15/189 |
| Goods exports |
$467B
2024 |
14/189 |
| Service imports |
$117B
2024 |
19/189 |
| Service exports |
$181B
2024 |
13/189 |
| Imports of goods and services, % of GDP |
92.2%
2023 |
14/181 |
| Exports of goods and services, % of GDP |
106.8%
2023 |
7/193 |
The United Arab Emirates' top 10 trading partners
The United Arab Emirates' biggest trading partner accounting for 13.2%% of all exports and imports is China, with a trade balance between the two of -$68.1B — the UAE exports $9.29B worth of goods and services to China and imports $77.4B.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of the United Arab Emirates.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
|
$86.7B | 13.2% | $9.29B | $77.4B | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
| 2 |
India
|
$55.5B | 8.47% | $25B | $30.4B | Precious metals & jewellery | Precious metals & jewellery |
| 3 |
United States
|
$40.4B | 6.17% | $13.5B | $26.9B | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
| 4 |
Saudi Arabia
|
$37.3B | 5.7% | $29.5B | $7.87B | Machinery & equipment | Chemicals & pharma |
| 5 |
Turkey
|
$36.4B | 5.56% | $18.7B | $17.7B | Precious metals & jewellery | Precious metals & jewellery |
| 6 |
Iraq
|
$28.4B | 4.33% | $22.7B | $5.65B | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 7 |
Switzerland
|
$22.3B | 3.41% | $11.1B | $11.2B | Precious metals & jewellery | Precious metals & jewellery |
| 8 |
Japan
|
$17.3B | 2.64% | $2.13B | $15.2B | Metals | Machinery & equipment |
| 9 |
Oman
|
$13.9B | 2.12% | $10.9B | $2.98B | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 10 |
Germany
|
$13.1B | 2% | $1.76B | $11.3B | Machinery & equipment | Machinery & equipment |
United Arab Emirates' top 10 exports
|
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Raw materials & minerals | $286B | 2/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $109B | 6/188 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $92.6B | 2/190 |
| Machinery & equipment | $92.4B | 22/193 |
| Business & finance services | $29B | 19/188 |
| Metals | $22B | 20/192 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $20.4B | 29/193 |
| Miscellaneous | $18.5B | 10/191 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $13.2B | 25/193 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $13.1B | 20/192 |
United Arab Emirates' top 10 imports
|
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Machinery & equipment | $148B | 15/193 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $119B | 3/193 |
| Miscellaneous | $79.6B | 2/193 |
| Transport & tourism services | $44.9B | 18/188 |
| Business & finance services | $38.9B | 16/188 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $28.8B | 24/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $25.5B | 29/193 |
| Textiles & consumer goods | $22.8B | 19/193 |
| Metals | $19.2B | 24/193 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $10B | 25/193 |
Economic freedom indices
|
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 71.6 | 29/197 |
| Property rights | 65.4 | 62/182 |
| Government integrity | 65.9 | 62/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 35.2 | 62/182 |
| Tax burden | 96.9 | 11/181 |
| Government spending | 82.3 | 53/180 |
| Fiscal health | 97.9 | 10/181 |
| Business freedom | 84.2 | 17/182 |
| Labor freedom | 62.1 | 49/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 80.5 | 6/180 |
| Trade freedom | 78.4 | 60/181 |
| Investment freedom | 50 | 126/181 |
| Financial freedom | 60 | 67/181 |
United Arab Emirates' economic freedom by year
The United Arab Emirates is ranked 23/180 for economic freedom with a score of 71.6, compared to 43/163 and a score of 65.2 in 2005.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1996 | 71.6 | - | 99.9 | 47.1 | - |
| 1997 | 71.9 | - | 99.9 | 49.1 | - |
| 1998 | 72.2 | - | 99.9 | 51 | - |
| 1999 | 71.5 | - | 99.9 | 43 | - |
| 2000 | 74.2 | - | 99.9 | 65.7 | - |
| 2001 | 74.9 | - | 99.9 | 51.3 | - |
| 2002 | 73.6 | - | 99.9 | 58.3 | - |
| 2003 | 73.4 | - | 99.9 | 68.1 | - |
| 2004 | 67.2 | - | 99.9 | 58 | - |
| 2005 | 65.2 | - | 99.9 | 70.2 | - |
| 2006 | 62.2 | - | 99.3 | 76.1 | - |
| 2007 | 62.6 | - | 99.9 | 82.3 | - |
| 2008 | 62.6 | - | 99.9 | 80.2 | - |
| 2009 | 64.7 | - | 99.9 | 86.3 | - |
| 2010 | 67.3 | - | 99.9 | 80.9 | - |
| 2011 | 67.8 | - | 99.9 | 79.1 | - |
| 2012 | 69.3 | - | 99.9 | 80.1 | - |
| 2013 | 71.1 | - | 99.9 | 85.1 | - |
| 2014 | 71.4 | - | 99.6 | 83.1 | - |
| 2015 | 72.4 | - | 99.5 | 85.8 | - |
| 2016 | 72.6 | - | 95 | 76.1 | - |
| 2017 | 76.9 | 85 | 96.4 | 67.4 | 99.2 |
| 2018 | 77.6 | 83.4 | 98.4 | 70.9 | 99 |
| 2019 | 77.6 | 87.1 | 99.2 | 68.8 | 88.9 |
| 2020 | 76.2 | 84.6 | 99.2 | 72.1 | 94.1 |
| 2021 | 76.9 | 81.1 | 100 | 73 | 98.5 |
| 2022 | 70.2 | 35.4 | 100 | 71.5 | 92.8 |
| 2023 | 70.9 | 68.8 | 100 | 71.6 | 96.4 |
| 2024 | 71.1 | 35.2 | 100 | 78.4 | 98.1 |
| 2025 | 71.6 | 35.2 | 96.9 | 82.3 | 97.9 |
More economic indicators
|
UAE
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Services, % of GDP |
54.9%
2024 |
108/191 |
| Industry, % of GDP |
44.3%
2024 |
11/194 |
| Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP |
0.77%
2024 |
179/193 |
|
GNI, Atlas method
|
$566B
2024 |
26/194 |
| GNI per capita, PPP |
$81,530
2024 |
12/191 |
| Total reserves including gold |
$238B
2024 |
14/177 |
|
Net foreign direct investment
|
$31.5B
2024 |
9/189 |
|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$45.6B
2024 |
10/193 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$77.2B
2024 |
7/193 |
| Poverty at national poverty lines |
19.5%
2020 |
106/176 |
|
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
|
26.6%
2023 |
54/178 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
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Economy comparisons
The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.
Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.
A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.
Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.