UAE Non-Oil Trade Climbs To AED 2.945 Trillion Arabian Post

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post) clearfix"> The UAE's non-oil foreign trade rose 10.1% to AED 2.945 trillion in the first nine months of 2026, propelled by record exports and bringing the total close to AED 3 trillion for the first time.

The official trade figures, published on Sunday, showed non-oil exports increasing 21.6% to AED 705.8 billion, while imports climbed 11.5% to AED 1.661 trillion. Re-exports amounted to AED 578 billion, reflecting the country's role in distributing goods to overseas markets. Imports remained the largest component of the overall merchandise trade total, although exports expanded at a faster pace.

Exports accounted for 24% of total non-oil trade, compared with 21.7% during the corresponding period of 2025. September marked another milestone as monthly non-oil exports exceeded AED 100 billion for the first time. The increase in the export share amounted to 2.3 percentage points over twelve months.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, reviewed the figures and said exports to the country's ten largest trading partners had increased by approximately 31%. He pointed to the UAE's efforts to broaden its commercial relationships amid changes in international trade flows and uncertainty in international markets.

Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said expanding export markets and improving supply chains had supported the increase. He identified the country's Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements as an important element of its strategy to reduce trade barriers and improve access to overseas customers. He also emphasised diversified routes and resilient logistics networks.

The third quarter contributed AED 1.025 trillion to the nine-month total, an increase of 7.1% from the same quarter last year and 11.1% from the preceding three months. Non-oil trade stood at AED 997.1 billion in the first quarter and AED 922.9 billion in the second.

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Non-oil exports reached AED 256.1 billion during the July-to-September quarter, rising 19% year on year and 16.2% quarter on quarter. The figure marked the fifth consecutive quarter in which exports exceeded AED 200 billion, indicating that the expansion extended beyond September's monthly record. Exports were also 73.7% higher than in the first nine months of 2024.

Trade growth was not confined to established commercial partners. Exchanges with countries outside the UAE's ten largest trading relationships increased 11.9%, compared with 8.3% growth among the leading ten. Exports to the top ten destinations rose 31.6%, highlighting the stronger performance of outward shipments within major markets.

Switzerland, Hong Kong and India were the principal destinations for UAE non-oil exports during the period. Shipments to Switzerland increased 75.8%, while those to Hong Kong rose 59.1%. Gold, jewellery and tobacco products led the export categories, with the ten largest export commodities registering combined growth of 35.8%.

Trade with the 23 countries covered by the 19 Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements in force as of 20 October reached approximately AED 510.8 billion. That represented an increase of 6.6% against the corresponding nine months of 2024, with no comparable 2025 rate specified.

Of the trade recorded with those agreement partners, imports accounted for AED 317.6 billion, re-exports for AED 104.6 billion and non-oil exports for AED 88.5 billion. The agreements are intended to improve market access through lower barriers and more predictable arrangements for companies trading across borders. Trade with these partners was also 25.5% above its 2023 level.

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Imports from countries outside the UAE's ten largest trading partners rose 14.6%, outpacing the 7.9% increase from the leading ten. China remained the biggest source of imported goods, followed by India and the United States. Imports from the United States increased 5.3% over the period.

Gold, telephone sets and refined petroleum oils were the principal imported commodities. Imports of the ten largest commodity groups rose 22%, while gold, telephone sets and jewellery were the most heavily traded goods across all trade flows.

The ten largest commodity categories accounted for AED 2.011 trillion of total non-oil trade, an annual increase of 22.1%. Their share of overall merchandise flows underlined the continued importance of a relatively concentrated group of products despite the widening geographical spread of trading relationships.

Saudi Arabia remained the leading destination for UAE re-exports, followed by Iraq and Oman. Re-exports to Oman increased 71.5% from a year earlier. Telephone sets, diamonds and cars were the leading re-exported products, according to the detailed trade breakdown released alongside the nine-month figures.

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