01Key Takeaways
- The United Arab Emirates exported $570.25 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 10.6% from $515.62 billion in 2022, a third consecutive year of growth and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led every export category at 49.5% ($282.08 billion), nearly half of total export value on their own.
- A destination recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes" ranked first among partners at 50.3% of exports, worth $286.63 billion, reflecting the UAE's role as a global re-export hub.
- Saudi Arabia was the largest identifiable single-country partner, taking 5.2% of exports, worth $29.46 billion.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $389.4B | $335.3B | $425.2B | $515.6B | $570.2B |
03Top Export Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Areas, nes | $286.6B | 50.3% |
| 2 | Saudi Arabia | $29.5B | 5.2% |
| 3 | India | $25.0B | 4.4% |
| 4 | Iraq | $22.7B | 4.0% |
| 5 | Turkey | $18.7B | 3.3% |
| 6 | Hong Kong SAR China | $14.4B | 2.5% |
| 7 | United States | $13.5B | 2.4% |
| 8 | Switzerland | $11.1B | 1.9% |
| 9 | Oman | $10.9B | 1.9% |
| 10 | Kuwait | $9.9B | 1.7% |
04Top Export Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $282.1B | 49.5% |
| 2 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $90.2B | 15.8% |
| 3 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $42.3B | 7.4% |
| 4 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $24.4B | 4.3% |
| 5 | Commodities not specified according to kind | $18.1B | 3.2% |
| 6 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $16.8B | 2.9% |
| 7 | Aluminium and Articles thereof | $7.9B | 1.4% |
| 8 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $7.6B | 1.3% |
| 9 | Tobacco and Manufactured Tobacco Substitutes | $6.6B | 1.2% |
| 10 | Essential Oils and Resinoids; Perfumery, Cosmetic or Toilet Preparations | $6.1B | 1.1% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Export Value Reached a New Five-Year High in 2023
The United Arab Emirates exported $570.25 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 10.6% from $515.62 billion in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset. The dataset covers a full five years, from 2019 through 2023, tracking this Gulf trading and energy hub.
Export value stood at $389.43 billion in 2019. It fell to $335.30 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing for three consecutive years. Export value reached $425.16 billion in 2021 and $515.62 billion in 2022, before rising further to $570.25 billion in 2023, the high point of this five-year window.
This dataset does not explain the 2020 dip or the three-year climb that followed. Export value in 2023 stands well above every earlier year in this window. A gain of 10.6% extends an uninterrupted rebound that began in 2021, rather than marking a new or isolated surge. This is now the third straight year of growth recorded in this dataset.
Fuel and Precious Metals Dominate an Export List Reflecting a Global Trading Hub
Mineral fuels led every export category in 2023, worth $282.08 billion, or 49.5% of the total, nearly half of total export value on their own. Precious stones and metals ranked second at 15.8%, worth $90.20 billion. The UAE, and Dubai in particular, functions as a major global re-export hub, with goods routed through free zones like Jebel Ali before continuing on to other markets. That re-export role helps explain why so much of this country's export value cannot be traced to a single specific destination. Electrical machinery and equipment followed at 7.4%, worth $42.28 billion. This third-ranked category is a far smaller share than either of the two categories ahead of it.
Machinery and mechanical appliances contributed 4.3%, worth $24.37 billion. A grouping recorded in trade statistics as "commodities not specified according to kind" ranked fifth at 3.2%, worth $18.11 billion. This is a classification covering goods that do not fit a standard product category. Vehicles added 2.9%, worth $16.80 billion. These middle-ranked categories point to a manufacturing and re-export base layered on top of the country's dominant fuel and precious-metals trade.
Aluminium contributed 1.4% ($7.86 billion), and plastics added 1.3% ($7.58 billion). Tobacco and nicotine-related products contributed 1.2%, worth $6.61 billion, and essential oils, perfumery and cosmetic preparations closed out the top ten at 1.1%, worth $6.13 billion, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. Fuel and precious metals together account for close to two-thirds of total export value. A long tail of machinery, consumer goods and industrial materials fills out the rest of this list.
An Undisclosed Destination Dominates a Highly Concentrated Partner List
A destination recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes" ranked first in 2023, taking 50.3% of exports, worth $286.63 billion. This is an aggregated classification covering shipments not assigned to a single specific country, by far the largest single entry on this list. Saudi Arabia was the largest identifiable single-country partner, ranking second at 5.2%, worth $29.46 billion. India followed at 4.4%, worth $25.02 billion. Together, these top three entries accounted for 59.8% of total export value, an extremely high concentration driven almost entirely by the undisclosed-destination category. Excluding that single entry, the remaining top three would look far less concentrated.
Iraq contributed 4.0% ($22.70 billion), and Turkey added 3.3% ($18.72 billion). Hong Kong SAR China followed at 2.5% ($14.37 billion), and United States added 2.4% ($13.54 billion).
Switzerland contributed 1.9% ($11.09 billion), essentially tied with Oman at 1.9% ($10.91 billion). Kuwait closed out the top ten at 1.7%, worth $9.90 billion, the smallest share among the ten identifiable partners listed here. Excluding the undisclosed-destination entry, this list is dominated by Gulf neighbors and South Asian partners. Ranks two through ten here are packed within roughly four percentage points of each other, a far tighter cluster than the gap separating the undisclosed category from everything else on this list.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an export profile anchored in fuel and precious metals, extending a three-year climb to a new high. That profile is sourced from a partner base dominated by an undisclosed re-export category, alongside a more conventional mix of Gulf and South Asian buyers among the identifiable destinations.