UAE economy records 5.3% growth in non-oil activities

UAE Real GDP grows by 3.9% in the first quarter of 2025

• E. Bin Touq: Latest results reaffirm the strength of the UAE’s national economy and its ability to maintain exceptional growth

• Hanan Ahli: GDP growth demonstrates the efficiency of the UAE’s economic model and underscores the success of developing key sectors on sustainable foundations

The UAE’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 3.9 per cent to total AED 455 billion in the first quarter (Q1) of 2025, compared to that of the same period in 2024. Non-oil GDP recorded a 5.3 per cent growth, reaching AED 352 billion, while the contribution of oil-related activities stood at 22.7 per cent in Q1 2025.

His Excellency Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, said: “The preliminary estimates released by the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre for the first quarter of 2025 reaffirm the strength and resilience of the UAE economy and its capacity to sustain exceptional growth. They also highlight the success of the nation’s comprehensive development model and reflect the confidence of investors and the international community in the country’s business and investment environment, which has become a global benchmark for progressive economic policies and a legislative framework that drives sustainable growth.”

His Excellency added: “Thanks to the directives of the wise leadership, the contribution of non-oil activities to real GDP reached a record 77.3 per cent in the first quarter - the highest in the country’s history. This reflects the strong momentum of the UAE’s economic diversification drive and underscores the effectiveness of national policies and strategies aimed at building an economic model based on knowledge and innovation, in line with the objectives of the ‘We the UAE 2031’ vision, which seeks to raise the country’s GDP to AED 3 trillion by the next decade.”

Her Excellency Hanan Mansoor Ahli, Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre, emphasized that the UAE’s GDP growth in the first quarter of 2025 highlights the efficiency of the country’s economic model and demonstrates the government’s success in implementing the leadership’s directives to develop economic sectors on sustainable foundations, while strengthening diversification efforts to ensure continued GDP growth and long-term economic development.

She added that the growth of the non-oil GDP by more than five per cent reflects the UAE’s vision to establish an advanced, diversified economic model, driven by technology and innovation. This model ensures an enabling environment for businesses and creative minds, transforming their ideas into successful companies and projects that contribute to the UAE's evolving economic landscape.

Fastest-growing sectors

Manufacturing activities topped all other economic activities with a 7.7 per cent growth in Q1 2025, followed by the finance and insurance and construction sectors, which achieved growth of 7.0 percent. Real estate activities grew by 6.6 per cent, and trade activities by 3.0 per cent.

In terms of the economic activities that contributed most to non-oil GDP during the first quarter of 2025, the trade sector ranked first, contributing 15.6 per cent. The finance and insurance sector came in second, contributing 14.6 per cent, followed by manufacturing industries at 13.4 per cent, while the construction sector contributed 12.0 per cent, and real estate activities 7.4 per cent.