The United Arab Emirates has achieved a historic economic milestone as its non-oil foreign trade exceeded one trillion dollars (Dh3.8 trillion) for the first time ever. The announcement came from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Saturday, January 31, revealing a remarkable 26 percent surge compared to the previous year.
In his capacity as Dubai’s ruler and the UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed shared details from a newly reviewed report that painted an impressive picture of the nation’s economic performance.
The UAE’s non-oil exports alone climbed past Dh813 billion, posting an extraordinary 45 percent growth rate year-over-year.
What makes these numbers particularly striking is their timing. Sheikh Mohammed reflected on targets the UAE had set just three years ago—goals meant to be reached by 2031. Remarkably, the nation has already accomplished 95 percent of these objectives, five full 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,” Sheikh Mohammed stated.
He extended congratulations to all national teams while encouraging them to push even further. “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,” he added.
Looking at the detailed figures, the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached approximately AED 3.8 trillion ($1.03 trillion) throughout 2025. This represents significant growth of 27 percent when compared to 2024 figures and an even more impressive 44.3 percent increase over 2023 levels.
The upward trajectory becomes even clearer when examining longer-term comparisons: 65 percent growth versus 2022 and 97.4 percent compared to 2021, essentially doubling the 2021 value and more than doubling the 2019 baseline.
The final quarter of 2025 proved particularly strong, with the UAE’s non-oil trade reaching AED 1.1 trillion—another first in the nation’s history. This quarter-over-quarter performance showed robust growth of 33.1 percent.
The momentum was driven largely by record-breaking non-oil exports, which totaled AED 234.4 billion during this period, representing a 53.2 percent increase from the same quarter in 2024 and 12 percent growth from Q3 2025.
Perhaps one of the most significant structural shifts has been in the composition of the UAE’s trade portfolio. By the end of 2025, exports accounted for 21.6 percent of total non-oil trade for the first time—a notable jump from 18.8 percent at the close of 2024.
This marks a steady climb from 16.5 percent in 2022 and a dramatic increase from just 14.1 percent six years earlier in 2019, highlighting the country’s evolving economic strategy and diversification efforts.
