Overview In 2020, United Arab Emirates was the number 34 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 24 in total exports, the number 22 in total imports, the number 33 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 51 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).

Exports The top exports of United Arab Emirates are Crude Petroleum ($42B), Gold ($28.8B), Refined Petroleum ($21.5B), Broadcasting Equipment ($14B), and Diamonds ($7.69B), exporting mostly to India ($22.1B), China ($19.2B), Saudi Arabia ($18B), Japan ($15.2B), and Iraq ($13.1B).

In 2020, United Arab Emirates was the world's biggest exporter of Sulphur ($407M), Limestone ($333M), and Scrap Nickel ($264M)

Imports The top imports of United Arab Emirates are Gold ($38.4B), Broadcasting Equipment ($20.4B), Refined Petroleum ($9.15B), Diamonds ($8.11B), and Cars ($6.63B), importing mostly from China ($41B), India ($18.1B), United States ($14B), Saudi Arabia ($9.21B), and Germany ($7.81B).

In 2020, United Arab Emirates was the world's biggest importer of Tug Boats ($1.05B) and Tobacco Processing Machines ($119M)

Location United Arab Emirates borders Oman and Saudi Arabia by land and Iran and Qatar by sea.

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The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of United Arab Emirates.

Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

Historical Data

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Top Export (2020): Crude Petroleum, $42B

Top Destination (2020): India, $41B

In 2020, United Arab Emirates exported a total of $216B, making it the number 24 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of United Arab Emirates have changed by $33.4B from $182B in 2015 to $216B in 2020.

The most recent exports are led by Crude Petroleum ($42B), Gold ($28.8B), Refined Petroleum ($21.5B), Broadcasting Equipment ($14B), and Diamonds ($7.69B). The most common destination for the exports of United Arab Emirates are India ($22.1B), China ($19.2B), Saudi Arabia ($18B), Japan ($15.2B), and Iraq ($13.1B).

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Fastest Growing Export Markets (2019 - 2020)

Fastest Growing Import Markets (2019 - 2020)

United Arab Emirates Exports Services (2015): $27.2B

United Arab Emirates Imports Services (2015): $24.4B

In 2015, United Arab Emirates exported $27.2B worth of services. The top services exported by United Arab Emirates in 2015 were Travel ($16B), Transportation ($10.3B), and Government services, n.i.e. ($871M).

The top services imported by United Arab Emirates in 2015 were Travel ($15.1B), Transportation ($8.06B), and Government services, n.i.e. ($1.2B).

Economic Complexity

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Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

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United Arab Emirates has a high level of specialization in Limestone (30.5), Scrap Nickel (23), Sulphur (13.9), Rolled Tobacco (11.4), and Cast Iron Pipes (8.86). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between United Arab Emirates observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

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The highest complexity exports of United Arab Emirates according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Artificial Filament Tow (1.42), Gaskets (1.32), Prepared Rubber Accelerators (1.27), Excavation Machinery (0.98), and Precious Metal Watches (0.85). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

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The top export opportunities for United Arab Emirates according to the relatedness index, are Ammonia (0.2), Other Oily Seeds (0.19), Raw Cotton (0.19), Insect Resins (0.19), and Cocoa Beans (0.19). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that United Arab Emirates is not specialized in.

The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.

Relatedness Space

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This network shows the products most related to the production structure of United Arab Emirates. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that United Arab Emirates exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Diversification Frontier

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The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.

Economic Complexity Ranking

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During the last 20 years United Arab Emirates's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively more complex, moving from the ⁩⁨68th to the 51st⁩ position in the ECI rank.

These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.

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