Economy - overview:
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Successful efforts at economic diversification have reduced the portion of GDP based on oil and gas output to 25%. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country's Free Trade Zones - offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes - are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and cheap credit in 2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. The global financial crisis and the resulting tight international credit market and falling oil prices have already begun to deflate asset prices and will result in slower economic growth for 2009. Dependence on oil and a large expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE's strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and increased private sector employment.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$184.6 billion (2008 est.)
$171.4 billion (2007)
$159.3 billion (2006)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate):
$270 billion (2008 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7.7% (2008 est.)
7.6% (2007 est.)
9.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita:
$40,000 (2008 est.)
$38,600 (2007 est.)
$37,300 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.6%
industry: 61.8%
services: 36.6% (2008 est.)

Labor force:
3.266 million (2008 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.4% (2001)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Investment (gross fixed):
20.8% of GDP (2008 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $83.15 billion
expenditures: $48.3 billion (2008 est.)

Public debt:
22.4% of GDP (2008 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
14.4% (2008 est.)

Central bank discount rate:
NA

Stock of money:
$49.5 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of quasi money:
$104.6 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of domestic credit:
$155.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Market value of publicly traded shares:
$224.7 billion (31 December 2007)

Agriculture - products:
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish

Industries:
petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
7.7% (2008 est.)

Electricity - production:
62.76 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - consumption:
57.88 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)

Oil - production:
2.948 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - consumption:
381,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports:
2.703 million bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - imports:
232,300 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
97.8 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Natural gas - production:
48.79 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
43.11 billion cu m (2006 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
1.343 billion cu m (2005)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.071 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Current account balance:
$36.41 billion (2008 est.)

Exports:
$207.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates

Exports - partners:
Japan 23.6%, South Korea 9.2%, Thailand 5%, India 4.8% (2007)

Imports:
$141.1 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food

Imports - partners:
China 12.8%, India 10%, US 8.7%, Japan 6.1%, Germany 5.9%, UK 5.3%, Italy 4.6% (2007)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$67.24 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Debt - external:
$73.71 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$62.69 billion (2008 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$28.95 billion (2008 est.)