United Arab Emirates: Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) fell 49% on 2023 (from 2.84 billion to 1.45 billion).

Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was +10.5% and a typical year strayed about 57.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 159.1% in 2014 and the biggest yearly fall was 61.2% in 2013. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 723.03 million a year. A straight line explains 83% 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

In 2024, United Arab Emirates had the 81st highest value of the 90 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to United Arab Emirates in the 2024 ranking

• Bulgaria — 78th of 90: 1.9 billion
• Panama — 79th of 90: 1.83 billion
• Bosnia and Herzegovina — 80th of 90: 1.46 billion
• Solomon Islands — 82nd of 90: 1.03 billion
• El Salvador — 83rd of 90: 893.2 million
• Cyprus — 84th of 90: 832 million

What this measures

Net investment in government nonfinancial assets includes fixed assets, inventories, valuables, and nonproduced assets. Nonfinancial assets are stores of value and provide benefits either through their use in the production of goods and services or in the form of property income and holding gains. Net investment in nonfinancial assets also includes consumption of fixed capital. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 17 values

Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 109.87 billion (2017)
• Bahrain — 235.05 million (2020)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 61.75 billion (2015)
• Israel — 60.53 billion (2024)
• Jordan — 689.1 million (2023)
• Lebanon — 8.1 trillion (2024)
• Malta — 733.7 million (2024)
• Morocco — 54.25 billion (2024)
• Saudi Arabia — 190.66 billion (2024)

More public sector data for United Arab Emirates

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 868 million (2025)
• Armed forces personnel, total — 63,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 1.02% (2020)
• Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 33 million (2025)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 90 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 70.41 (2024)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 0.07% (2024)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — 7.87 billion (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is United Arab Emirates's net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU)?

1.45 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1997?

It is up 181.72% from 513 million in 1997 (3.91% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 8.59 billion in 2015 and the lowest 513 million in 1997.

How does United Arab Emirates rank?

81st highest of 90 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) unusual for United Arab Emirates?

In 2024, United Arab Emirates' net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) fell 49% on 2023 (from 2.84 billion to 1.45 billion). Across the 14 yearly changes before that (1998 to 2023), the average change was +10.5% and a typical year strayed about 57.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.0 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NFN.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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