United Arab Emirates: Borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults)

Key figures

Over five years it is up 10.13% from 571.01 in 2018 (1.95% a year on average, compounded). Since 2014 it is up 12.61% from 558.44 in 2014 (1.33% a year on average, compounded).

What the numbers say

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) rose 34.28 on 2022 (from 594.58 to 628.86).

Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +4.52 and a typical year strayed about 37.33 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 73.13 in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 47.96 in 2019. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to United Arab Emirates in the 2023 ranking

• Mauritania — 2nd of 3: 98.95
• Timor-Leste — 3rd of 3: 51.4

What this measures

Borrowers from commercial banks are the reported number of resident customers that are nonfinancial corporations (public and private) and households who obtained loans from commercial banks and other banks functioning as commercial banks.

Limitations: For many countries data cover the total number of loan accounts due to lack of information on loan account holders. For several countries, data cover all borrowers including commercial banks, credit unions and financial cooperatives, deposit taking microfinance institutions, and other deposit takers. These include all resident financial corporations and quasi-corporations (except the central bank) that are mainly engaged in financial intermediation and that issue liabilities included in the national definition of broad money.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a median.

All 10 values

Borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 3.29 (2019)
• Algeria — 43.39 (2024)
• Bahrain — 191.97 (2024)
• Djibouti — 42.46 (2024)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 132.95 (2024)
• Kuwait — 198.93 (2024)
• Lebanon — 70.82 (2024)
• Pakistan — 23.34 (2024)
• Qatar — 280.89 (2021)
• Saudi Arabia

More financial sector data for United Arab Emirates

• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$3.67 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$3.67 (2024)
• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 114.18 (2024)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — 1.63% (2024)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 1.8 trillion (2025)
• Net foreign assets (current LCU) — 1.8 trillion (2025)
• Broad money (current LCU) — 2.75 trillion (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 67.97% (2024)
• Claims on central government (annual growth as % of broad money)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults)?

628.86 in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2014?

It is up 12.61% from 558.44 in 2014 (1.33% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 628.86 in 2023 and the lowest 504.56 in 2020.

Is the latest change in borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' borrowers from commercial banks (per 1,000 adults) rose 34.28 on 2022 (from 594.58 to 628.86). Across the 8 yearly changes before that (2015 to 2022), the average change was +4.52 and a typical year strayed about 37.33 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FB.CBK.BRWR.P3, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Financial Access Survey, International Monetary Fund (IMF), uri: https://data.imf.org/en/datasets/IMF.STA:FAS Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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