Abu Dhabi’s non-oil commerce sector delivered a standout efficiency within the first half of 2025, pushed by a sturdy surge in exports, regular development in imports, and an increase in re-exports. The 34.7% year-on-year improve displays the emirate’s robust financial fundamentals, its strategic shift in direction of diversification, and an ongoing transformation into a worldwide commerce and logistics hub.
Commerce figures mirror robust financial momentum
Within the interval from January to June 2025, Abu Dhabi’s non-oil international commerce reached AED195.4 billion ($53.2 billion), a big improve from AED145 billion ($39.4 billion) throughout the identical timeframe in 2024. This 34.7% development was supported throughout all main commerce classes:
- Exports rose 64%, reaching AED78.5 billion ($21.3 billion) in comparison with AED47.9 billion ($13 billion) within the first half of 2024.
- Imports climbed by 15% to AED80 billion ($21.8 billion), up from AED70 billion ($19 billion).
- Re-exports elevated 35%, surpassing AED36 billion ($9.8 billion), in comparison with AED26.6 billion ($7.2 billion) through the corresponding interval final 12 months.
The robust efficiency comes amid ongoing efforts to strengthen non-oil sectors, with commerce turning into a core pillar of Abu Dhabi’s broader financial growth technique.
Strategic insurance policies and infrastructure as development catalysts
A number of structural and coverage elements have underpinned the expansion of Abu Dhabi’s non-oil commerce. The emirate continues to put money into infrastructure, logistics, and digital innovation to boost commerce capabilities. Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Division of Financial Improvement (ADDED), credited the expansion to strategic financial planning and agile execution. “Abu Dhabi’s non-oil international commerce regular efficiency in H1- 2025 reaffirms our place as a worldwide financial powerhouse, bridging East and West, North and South. Our constant development, amid the challenges within the worldwide commerce and world financial system, displays the strengths of our long-term financial planning, decisive coverage execution, and our dedication to enabling truthful and free alternate of products, providers, and improvements,” he stated. Al Zaabi added that the emirate is prioritizing the streamlining of commerce procedures, good system integration, and repair optimization to place Abu Dhabi as one of many world’s most business-ready economies. These developments are additionally reinforcing its function as a key node in world provide chains. Director-Common of Abu Dhabi Customs, Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, emphasised the function of innovation and partnerships in facilitating this development. “ The expansion in non-oil international commerce through the first half of 2025 displays the success of Abu Dhabi’s financial methods, and highlights the effectiveness of efforts made by Abu Dhabi Customs, in collaboration with strategic companions, to facilitate commerce. These efforts are pushed by the adoption of superior methods, improvements, and digital applied sciences.” He famous.He emphasised the continued dedication to growing a proactive and agile customs ecosystem that helps world provide chains and enhances the emirate’s competitiveness as a regional and worldwide hub for commerce and enterprise.Al Mansoori concluded by reaffirming that Abu Dhabi Customs is dedicated to offering top-tier providers and streamlined procedures that pace up customs processes and foster deeper collaboration with home and worldwide companions, efforts that contribute to sustainable development, assist the evolving financial system, and solidify the emirate’s presence in world commerce.
Financial diversification and long-term imaginative and prescient
The surge in non-oil commerce is a part of a broader transformation underway in Abu Dhabi’s financial system. In 2024, the emirate’s GDP reached a historic AED1.2 trillion ($326.4 billion), with the non-oil sector contributing AED644.3 billion ($175.2 billion)—a 6.2% improve from the earlier 12 months. This represents 54.7% of the full GDP, marking the very best non-oil share thus far. Abu Dhabi’s technique to scale back reliance on hydrocarbons contains focused investments in manufacturing, tourism, aviation, and expertise:
- In 2022, it launched an industrial technique with AED10 billion ($2.72 billion) in funding throughout six packages, aiming to greater than double manufacturing output to AED172 billion ($46.8 billion) by 2031.
- The tourism sector is projected to contribute 12% to GDP by 2030, up from 5% in 2023.
- Sectors like synthetic intelligence and aviation have additionally seen contemporary capital injections as a part of Abu Dhabi’s long-term financial blueprint.
This financial imaginative and prescient is being realized via worldwide partnerships as nicely. The UAE has signed 28 Complete Financial Partnership Agreements (CEPAs) to broaden commerce entry. In line with a report from The Nationwide, ten of those, signed with nations together with India, Indonesia, Israel, and Turkey, are presently operational. Further agreements with nations comparable to Australia, South Korea, Vietnam, Kenya, and others are pending implementation. Negotiations have concluded with the Philippines, Morocco, and Armenia, additional increasing Abu Dhabi’s entry to world markets.
Logistics, location, and aggressive benefit
Abu Dhabi’s strategic location, world-class infrastructure, and investor-friendly reforms proceed to place it as a worldwide logistics hub. The event of contemporary airports, seaports, and transport networks has considerably improved the motion of products and effectivity of provide chains. The effectiveness of those methods has been essential in enabling the 2025 commerce development. Enhanced customs clearance providers, coupled with digital integration and using good applied sciences, are accelerating cross-border commerce. Officers imagine that this momentum will not be short-lived. Abu Dhabi Customs reiterated its dedication to “best-in-class” procedures that not solely facilitate commerce but in addition foster sustainable development. That is aligned with the UAE’s nationwide goal of constructing a future-ready financial system much less depending on oil.
