UAE non-oil trade nears 3 trillion dirhams in nine months

Summary

• UAE non-oil foreign trade hit 2.945 trillion dirhams in nine months, up 10.1% year-on-year.
• Non-oil exports reached a record 706 billion dirhams, growing 21.6% and lifting their share to 24%.
• The figures point to export-led diversification, with Asia and the US anchoring trade flows.

The latest

UAE non-oil foreign trade reached 2.945 trillion dirhams in the first nine months of 2026, a 10.1% increase on the same period of 2025 and the first approach to the 3 trillion dirham mark over nine months, according to Emirates News Agency. Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi said the historic level reflects sustained momentum in the country's trade.

Details

• The headline figure: Total non-oil foreign trade stood at 2.945 trillion dirhams for January through September 2026, according to WAM, a 10.1% rise over the same nine months of 2025 and the closest the UAE has come to the 3 trillion dirham threshold over a nine-month span.
• Exports: Non-oil exports hit a record 706 billion dirhams, growing 21.6% year-on-year — the fastest-expanding component of the trade mix. Outbound shipments outpaced both imports and re-exports, shifting the trade profile toward domestically generated sales.
• Imports and re-exports: Imports reached 1.661 trillion dirhams, up 11.5% on the same period a year earlier, while re-exports registered 578 billion dirhams. Imports remain the largest single component of total non-oil trade, underlining the UAE's role as a regional distribution and transit hub.
• Export share: Non-oil exports rose to 24.0% of total non-oil foreign trade, against 21.7% in the same period of 2025, according to WAM. The shift of more than two percentage points in a single year indicates exports are growing faster than the overall trade base.
• The monthly record: Non-oil exports exceeded 100 billion dirhams in a single month for the first time in September 2026, according to WAM, within the same nine-month window that produced the record cumulative export figure.
• Third quarter: Non-oil foreign trade in the third quarter of 2026 was 1.025 trillion dirhams, an annual increase of 7.1% over the third quarter of 2025. The quarterly pace ran below the 10.1% recorded across the full nine months.
• Trade partners: China led countries exporting to the UAE, followed by India and then the United States, whose shipments grew 5.3%, according to WAM. Switzerland, Hong Kong and India were the leading destination markets for UAE non-oil exports.
• Sheikh Mohammed's reading: Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said he reviewed the nine-month report, noting exports to the ten largest trading partners rose 31% on the previous year. He said: "For the first time our foreign trade approaches 3 trillion dirhams in nine months".
• What was not detailed: The figures released do not break out the dirham value of trade with individual partner countries, nor set a date for the full-year 2026 report. No sector-level breakdown of the record export performance was published.

Background

The UAE has signed a series of Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements in recent years as part of a stated strategy to expand non-oil trade and reduce reliance on hydrocarbon revenue. Non-oil trade is the metric Emirati officials use to track that diversification effort.

Between the lines

The gap between 21.6% export growth and 11.5% import growth is the most telling number in the release: the UAE is not only moving more goods through its ports but selling more of its own. The third-quarter rate of 7.1%, below the nine-month average of 10.1%, suggests the pace eased in the most recent quarter even as the cumulative record held.

What's next

The full-year 2026 trade figures, due after the fourth quarter closes, will show whether the UAE crosses the 3 trillion dirham mark and whether export growth holds above the import rate.

Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)