The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached AED 2.945 trillion in the first nine months of 2026, up 10.1% year on year and closing in on the AED 3 trillion mark for the first time, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum announced on Sunday.
Exports led the growth, climbing 21.6% to a record AED 705.8 billion, while imports rose 11.5% to AED 1.661 trillion and re-exports came to AED 578 billion. Exports now make up 24% of total non-oil trade, up from 21.7% a year earlier, after monthly exports passed AED 100 billion for the first time in September.
Third-quarter trade reached AED 1.025 trillion, up 7.1% on the year, and quarterly exports have now stayed above AED 200 billion for five quarters in a row. Exports to the UAE’s ten largest trading partners jumped 31.6%. Switzerland and Hong Kong saw the biggest rises, up 75.8% and 59.1%. Trade with the 23 countries covered by the UAE’s 19 active CEPA deals came to about AED 510.8 billion.
Gulf Economist Staff Writer