01Key Takeaways
- The United Arab Emirates imported $470.54 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 11.9% from $420.49 billion in 2022, a third consecutive year of growth and the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Precious stones and metals led every import category at 24.4% ($114.88 billion), by far the largest single category on this list.
- A source recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes" ranked first among partners at 16.7% of imports, worth $78.76 billion, narrowly ahead of China at 16.5% ($77.42 billion).
- The top three import partners together accounted for 39.7% of total import value.
025-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $288.4B | $247.0B | $347.5B | $420.5B | $470.5B |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Areas, nes | $78.8B | 16.7% |
| 2 | China | $77.4B | 16.5% |
| 3 | India | $30.4B | 6.5% |
| 4 | United States | $26.9B | 5.7% |
| 5 | Turkey | $17.7B | 3.8% |
| 6 | Japan | $15.2B | 3.2% |
| 7 | Germany | $11.3B | 2.4% |
| 8 | Switzerland | $11.2B | 2.4% |
| 9 | Vietnam | $11.1B | 2.3% |
| 10 | Italy | $10.1B | 2.1% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural or Cultured Pearls, Precious or Semi-Precious Stones, Precious Metals, Metals Clad with Precious Metal, and Articles thereof; Imitation Jewellery; Coin | $114.9B | 24.4% |
| 2 | Commodities not specified according to kind | $78.7B | 16.7% |
| 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 | $63.1B | 13.4% |
| 4 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $40.8B | 8.7% |
| 5 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $33.7B | 7.2% |
| 6 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $21.3B | 4.5% |
| 7 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $6.4B | 1.4% |
| 8 | Iron and Steel | $6.2B | 1.3% |
| 9 | Pharmaceutical Products | $6.2B | 1.3% |
| 10 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $5.8B | 1.2% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Reached a New Five-Year High in 2023
The United Arab Emirates imported $470.54 billion worth of goods in 2023, up 11.9% from $420.49 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 the import side of trade for this Gulf trading and energy hub.
Import value stood at $288.45 billion in 2019. It fell to $246.96 billion in 2020, the low point of this five-year window, before climbing for three consecutive years. Import value reached $347.53 billion in 2021 and $420.49 billion in 2022, before rising further to $470.54 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. Import value in 2023 stands well above every earlier year in this window. A gain of 11.9% extends an uninterrupted rebound that began in 2021. This shape closely mirrors the export side of trade for this same country, which also climbed for three straight years to a new high in 2023. Both sides of this country's trade have now expanded without interruption since the 2020 low.
Precious Metals and Unclassified Goods Anchor an Import List Tied to Global Gold Trade
Precious stones and metals led every import category in 2023, worth $114.88 billion, or 24.4% of the total, by far the largest single category on this list. Dubai re-exports gold to over 120 countries and connects gold-producing nations like South Africa, Ghana and Russia to consumer markets in India, China and the West. That refining and re-export role helps explain why precious stones and metals dominate this import list, with several of those same trading partners ranking among the top ten import sources here. A grouping recorded in trade statistics as "commodities not specified according to kind" ranked second at 16.7% ($78.71 billion), a separate classification from the undisclosed-origin partner entry described below.
Electrical machinery and equipment contributed 13.4%, worth $63.05 billion, and machinery and mechanical appliances added 8.7%, worth $40.84 billion. Vehicles contributed a further 7.2%, worth $33.67 billion. These three categories point to a manufacturing and consumer base layered on top of the country's dominant gold and unclassified-goods trade.
Mineral fuels added 4.5% ($21.26 billion). Plastics contributed 1.4%, worth $6.40 billion, and iron and steel added 1.3% ($6.24 billion), essentially tied with pharmaceutical products at 1.3% ($6.17 billion). Iron or steel articles closed out the top ten at 1.2%, worth $5.76 billion, the smallest share among all ten categories on this list. Precious metals and unclassified goods together account for well over four in ten dollars of total import value. A long tail of machinery, vehicles and industrial inputs fills out the rest of this list.
An Undisclosed Origin and China Lead a Moderately Concentrated Partner List
A source recorded in trade statistics as "Areas, nes" ranked first in 2023, taking 16.7% ($78.76 billion) of imports. This is an aggregated classification covering shipments not assigned to a single specific country of origin. China followed closely, ranking second at 16.5%, worth $77.42 billion. India ranked third at 6.5%, worth $30.45 billion. Together, these top three entries accounted for 39.7% of total import value, a far more moderate concentration than seen on the export side of trade for this country.
United States contributed 5.7% ($26.87 billion), and Turkey added 3.8% ($17.66 billion). Japan followed at 3.2%, worth $15.17 billion.
Germany contributed 2.4% ($11.30 billion), essentially tied with Switzerland at 2.4% ($11.21 billion). Vietnam added 2.3%, worth $11.05 billion. Italy closed out the top ten at 2.1%, worth $10.07 billion, the smallest share among the ten identifiable partners listed here. Excluding the undisclosed-origin entry, this list is dominated by China alongside a broad mix of Asian, European and North American suppliers. Ranks four through ten here are packed within roughly four percentage points of each other.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes an import profile anchored in precious metals and unclassified goods, extending a three-year climb to a new high, closely mirroring the export side of trade for this same country. That profile is sourced from a partner base led by an undisclosed origin and China, alongside a broader mix of Asian, European and Gulf suppliers among the identifiable partners.