UAE Non-Oil Economy Drives 3.9 % Q1 Growth

The UAE achieved 3.9 per cent real GDP growth in the first quarter of 2025, reaching AED 455 billion compared with the same quarter a year earlier. Non-oil activity expanded 5.3 per cent to AED 352 billion, with oil-related sectors accounting for 22.7 per cent of total output. Remarkably, non-oil industries contributed a record 77.3 per cent to GDP—a record non-oil contribution to GDP for the UAE.

This performance underscores the UAE’s ongoing diversification efforts and signals confidence from investors in the nation’s economic architecture, as emphasised by the Minister of Economy and Tourism.

Manufacturing emerged as the most dynamic sector, growing at 7.7 per cent. That was followed by the finance and insurance sector and the construction industry, each expanding by 7.0 per cent. Real estate activities rose by 6.6 per cent, while trade grew by 3.0 per cent.

Regarding non-oil GDP composition, trade led with a 15.6 per cent contribution, followed by finance and insurance at 14.6 per cent. Manufacturing accounted for 13.4 per cent, construction for 12.0 per cent, and real estate for 7.4 per cent.

These figures confirm the UAE’s continued shift toward a diversified and innovation-driven economy, aligned with the country’s “We the UAE 2031” vision, which targets a Dh3 trillion GDP within the next decade.

Expanding regional context highlights that Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade surged by 34.7 per cent in the first half of 2025, reaching AED 195.4 billion. This leap underscores the emirate’s strengthening position as a global trade and logistics hub.

Amid broader regional economic recalibrations, the IMF revised down its 2025 forecast for GCC growth to around 3 per cent—though it emphasised that diversification efforts across the Gulf, including the UAE’s non-oil expansion, continue to bolster resilience.