United Arab Emirates: Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) rose 12.6% on 2022 (from US$430.18 billion to US$484.31 billion).

Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +9.6% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 34.5% in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 20.4% in 2010. 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 the straight-line trend is upward, about US$20.54 billion a year. A straight line explains 72% of the movement over 10 observed years.

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

• Togo — 2nd of 3: US$2.97 billion
• Greenland — 3rd of 3: US$1.57 billion

What this measures

Imports of goods includes change in the economic ownership of goods from non-residents to residents of the compiling economy, irrespective of physical movement of goods across national borders. Imports of services includes services provided by non-residents to residents. This indicator is expressed in constant prices, meaning the series has been adjusted to account for price changes over time. The reference year for this adjustment is 2015. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

Limitations: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on exports and imports are compiled from customs reports and balance of payments data.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 23 values

Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) in nearby economies

• Algeria — US$59.95 billion (2025)
• Bahrain — US$30.94 billion (2024)
• Djibouti — US$4.85 billion (2025)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — US$144.72 billion (2025)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — US$58.56 billion (2025)
• Iraq — US$98.79 billion (2024)
• Israel — US$130.43 billion (2025)
• Kuwait — US$52.25 billion (2024)
• Lebanon — US$11.76 billion (2024)
• Libya

More economic policy & debt data for United Arab Emirates

• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$48.24 billion (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 8.26% (2024)
• GDP (current US$) — US$552.33 billion (2024)
• GDP (current LCU) — 2.03 trillion (2024)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$457.09 billion (2024)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 1.78 trillion (2024)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$50,274 (2024)
• GDP per capita (current LCU) — 184,629 (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant 2015 US$) — US$41,605 (2024)
• GDP per capita (constant LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$)?

US$484.31 billion in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2001?

It is up 558.7% from US$73.53 billion in 2001 (8.95% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$484.31 billion in 2023 and the lowest US$73.53 billion in 2001.

Is the latest change in imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2023, United Arab Emirates' imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) rose 12.6% on 2022 (from US$430.18 billion to US$484.31 billion). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (2002 to 2022), the average change was +9.6% and a typical year strayed about 13.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.IMP.GNFS.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Offices (NSOs); National Accounts data files, Central Banks; Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) 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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