United Arab Emirates: Imports, percent of GDP

The latest value from 2020 is 70.65 percent, a decline from 70.72 percent in 2019. In comparison, the world average is 44.34 percent, based on data from 169 countries. Historically, the average for the United Arab Emirates from 2001 to 2020 is 61.66 percent. The minimum value, 40.71 percent, was reached in 2001 while the maximum of 74.46 percent was recorded in 2017. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The imports of the United Arab Emirates and other countries are calculated as the total amount of goods and services produced abroad and sold at home. Imports are often reported as percent of GDP so that we can evaluate their magnitude relative to the size of the economy.

If imports are about 15 percent or less of GDP the economy is considered relatively closed. That, for example, applies to the U.S. In contrast, many small European countries import over 40 percent of the products they consume. They are considered more open to international trade.

Definition: Imports of goods and services represent the value of all goods and other market services received from the rest of the world. They include the value of merchandise, freight, insurance, transport, travel, royalties, license fees, and other services, such as communication, construction, financial, information, business, personal, and government services. They exclude compensation of employees and investment income (formerly called factor services) and transfer payments.