| Economy - overview | The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, about 30% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output, and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005-06 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and degrading the UAE's allure to foreign investors. Dependence on a large expatriate workforce and oil are significant long-term challenges to the UAE's economy. |
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| GDP | 3.1% (2005 est.) |
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| GDP - real growth rate | 8.9% (2006 est.) |
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| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 61.9%
services: 35.8% (2006 est.) |
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| Population below poverty line | NA% |
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Household income or consumption
by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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| Labor force | 2.968 million (2006 est.) |
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| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.) |
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| Unemployment rate | 2.4% (2001) |
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| Budget | revenues: $60.3 billion
expenditures: $35.2 billion; including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (2006 est.) |
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| Industries | petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles |
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| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (2000) |
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Electricity -
production | 49.52 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity -
consumption | 46.05 billion kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
exports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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Electricity -
imports | 0 kWh (2004) |
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| Oil - production | 2.54 million bbl/day (2006 est.) |
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| Oil - consumption | 400,000 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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| Oil - exports | 2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.) |
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| Oil - imports | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
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| Oil - proved reserves | 97.8 billion bbl (2006 est.) |
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| Agriculture - products | dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish |
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| Exports | $137.1 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Exports - commodities | crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates |
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| Exports - partners | Japan 24.5%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005) |
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| Imports | $88.89 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) |
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| Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food |
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| Imports - partners | UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%, France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005) |
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| Debt - external | $39.1 billion (2006 est.) |
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| Currency code | AED |
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| Exchange rates | Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002 |
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| Fiscal year | calendar year |
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