UAE non-oil trade nears AED3tn in nine months, up 10.1%

UAE non-oil trade reached AED2.945 trillion (about $802bn) in the first nine months of 2026, up 10.1% from a year earlier, according to figures carried on Sunday by state news agency WAM.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, said he had reviewed the UAE foreign trade report for the period. It is the first time the nine-month total has come close to AED3 trillion, WAM reported.

Non-oil exports were the fastest-growing part of the total. They rose 21.6% to a record AED706bn (about $192bn) and made up 24% of non-oil trade, compared with 21.7% a year earlier. Monthly non-oil exports passed AED100bn for the first time in September.

UAE non-oil trade by the numbers

Imports increased 11.5% to AED1.661 trillion (about $452bn), while re-exports stood at AED578bn (about $157bn). China was the largest source of imports, followed by India and the United States, the report showed.

Exports to the country’s ten largest trading partners climbed 31.6%, a figure Sheikh Mohammed gave as 31% in a post on X. Switzerland, Hong Kong and India were the leading export destinations, with shipments to Switzerland up 75.8% and to Hong Kong up 59.1%. Saudi Arabia was the top market for re-exports, ahead of Iraq and Oman.

Gold, jewellery and tobacco products led the export list. Gold, telephone sets and jewellery were the most-traded goods overall, and the ten biggest commodities together were worth AED2.011 trillion, 22.1% more than a year earlier.

The third quarter was the strongest of the year so far. Non-oil trade reached AED1.025 trillion (about $279bn) between July and September, 7.1% higher than a year earlier and 11.1% above the second quarter. Quarterly non-oil exports came in at AED256.1bn and have now stayed above AED200bn for five quarters in a row.

Trade agreements and new routes

Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, attributed the result to a wider spread of partners and markets, new trade routes and more resilient supply chains. He described the UAE’s Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) as central to opening markets and lowering trade barriers.

Nineteen CEPAs covering 23 countries were in force as of 20 October, according to WAM. Non-oil trade with those countries came to about AED510.8bn (about $139bn), made up of AED317.6bn of imports, AED104.6bn of re-exports and AED88.5bn of non-oil exports.

The government has kept adding to the programme, including through the conclusion of CEPA talks with Thailand. Trade with markets outside the top ten also grew faster than trade with established partners, rising 11.9% against 8.3% for the ten largest.

Why the figures matter for business

The numbers arrive in a difficult year for the Gulf. The National reported that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping and that the UAE redirected oil and non-oil cargo through alternative channels. Sheikh Mohammed said the country remained a hub for international trade despite economic and political challenges and shifts in global trade flows.

Trade was the largest contributor to non-oil GDP in the first half, at 16.2%, according to government data cited by The National. The wider economy has slowed, with UAE GDP growing 0.4% in the first half of 2026 to AED961.9bn.

Against that backdrop, the nine-month UAE non-oil trade total is 37.2% higher than in the same period of 2024 and 55.2% above the 2023 level, when it stood at AED1.9 trillion. Non-oil exports are 73.7% higher than in the first nine months of 2024.

For logistics operators, free zones, ports and trade finance banks, the data indicate that the value of goods moving through the country held up even as routes changed. Gold features among the top exports, imports and most-traded goods, so movements in the price of the metal can influence the headline value.

Fourth-quarter data will show whether quarterly UAE non-oil trade can stay above the AED1 trillion mark reached in the third quarter. The nine-month figures were carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM).