UAE non-oil exports rose 45% to hit 813 billion dirhams ($221 billion) last year, according to Prime Minister and Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Overall, UAE non‑oil trade reached 3.8 trillion dirhams, thereby passing the $1 trillion mark for the first time.
The rapid growth means the UAE is closing the gap on its neighbor Saudi Arabia, which has an economy twice as large. Saudi non-oil exports for the first 11 months of last year totaled 1 trillion riyals ($284 billion). Both countries have been pushing to diversify their economies and build new industries for a post-oil future, with heavy investments in areas such as artificial intelligence, tourism, and logistics.
Saudi GDP expanded 4.9% in the fourth quarter of 2025, the fastest rate since 2022, according to official preliminary estimates. Growth was estimated at 4.5% across 2025 as a whole. In December, the UAE central bank projected the UAE economy would grow by 5% for the year.