United Arab Emirates

GDP/capita CAGR

0.4%

Unemployment (2025)

2.2%

Gini index (2018)

26.4

CO2/capita (2024)

18.3 t

United Arab Emirates: sluggish, near-stagnant growth, 1980–2024

Built substantially on Abu Dhabi and Dubai's oil wealth, the UAE diversified early into trade, tourism, aviation, and finance, giving it a broader non-oil growth base than most other Gulf economies. Between 1980 and 2024, United Arab Emirates's GDP per capita grew from $42,925 to $50,274 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 0.4% — sluggish, near-stagnant growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 3.7% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 6.4 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 0.5% to 0.8% of GDP (a notable increase), while services rose from 35.2% to 54.9% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 68.2 to 83.1 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 53.2% to 63.7%, while the urban population share grew from 81.1% to 86.0%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 40.50 to 18.26 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 32.5 to 26.4; the poverty headcount ratio increased from 0.0% to 0.0%.

What it trades

Top exported and imported products, approximate share of total trade value.

Top exports

Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...45.1%

Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...36.1%

Aluminium and articles thereof2.6%

Plastics and articles thereof2.1%

Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...1.3%

Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, ...1.2%

Copper and articles thereof1.2%

Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof1.1%

Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement0.9%

Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations0.7%

Top imports

Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...21.1%

Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...16.0%

Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof11.6%

Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof9.1%

Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof3.4%

Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...3.3%

Commodities not elsewhere specified2.2%

Articles of iron or steel2.1%

Ships, boats and floating structures1.8%

Plastics and articles thereof1.8%

Events shaping this economy

Central bank perspective

Why the charts below look the way they do, drawing on the country’s own central bank and monetary authority.

Leading companies in United Arab Emirates

Emirates NBD · Banking First Abu Dhabi Bank · Banking Emaar Properties · Real Estate ADNOC Distribution · Energy e& · Telecom