RIYADH: The UAE’s non-oil trade rose 13.1 percent year on year to 1.94 trillion dirhams ($527 billion) in the first six months of 2026, approaching the 2 trillion-dirham mark over a half-year period for the first time, new figures showed.
Trade value was 39.6 percent higher than in the first half of 2024, 54.5 percent above the corresponding period in 2023, and 78.8 percent higher than in 2022, underscoring the sustained growth of the UAE’s non-oil activities in recent years, WAM reported.
The International Monetary Fund expects the UAE economy to grow by 5 percent in 2026, with non-hydrocarbon sectors projected to expand by 4.6 percent, underpinned by tourism, construction, financial services and infrastructure investment.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE vice president, prime minister and ruler of Dubai, described the latest trade figures as “historic.”
The newly released WAM statement said: “The value of non-oil foreign trade in the first half of this year more than doubled the levels recorded during the same period in 2019 and 2021, a further indicator of the significant acceleration in the growth of the national economy.”
It added: “Non-oil exports were the primary driver of the UAE’s trade performance during the first half of the year, reaching 452.8 billion dirhams, a 23.9 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025 and a 77.3 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024.”
Non-oil trade, exports
The data further showed that non-oil exports accounted for 23.4 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil foreign trade in the first half of 2026, up from 21.3 percent a year earlier, 18.4 percent in 2024 and 16.9 percent in 2023, reflecting the country’s continued shift toward a more production-, export- and value-added economy.
The new figures also reinforce the UAE’s strategy of reducing its reliance on hydrocarbons through export diversification and deeper global economic integration.
The country’s expanding trade network has been supported by comprehensive economic partnership agreements, including one finalized with Japan in March, which have broadened market access for Emirati businesses and strengthened the UAE’s position as a regional trade hub.
Trade partners
China remained the UAE’s largest trading partner, with non-oil trade totaling 180.7 billion dirhams, followed by Switzerland at 138.4 billion dirhams and India at 107.5 billion dirhams.
Egypt, Oman and Hong Kong also recorded strong growth in trade with the UAE during the period.
