Key information about United Arab Emirates Current Account Balance

• United Arab Emirates Current Account recorded a surplus of 48.0 USD bn in Dec 2021, compared with a surplus of 21.1 USD bn in the previous year.
• United Arab Emirates Current Account Balance: USD mn data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1996 to Dec 2021, with an averaged value of 18.6 USD bn.
• The data reached an all-time high of 79.8 USD bn in Dec 2012 and a record low of -106.2 USD mn in Dec 1998.
• CEIC converts annual Current Account Balance into USD. The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates provides Current Account Balance in local currency. The International Monetary Fund average market exchange rate is used for currency conversions.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 20.7 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• United Arab Emirates Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 22.5 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 1.2 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 117.3 USD bn in Mar 2022.

Graph and download economic data for Balance on Current Account for United Arab Emirates (AREBCAUSD) from 2000 to 2025 about United Arab Emirates, current account, BOP, and REO.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: FOB data was reported at 290.300 AED bn in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 221.600 AED bn for 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: FOB data is updated yearly, averaging 195.587 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2021, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 520.300 AED bn in 2012 and a record low of 5.710 AED bn in 1998. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: FOB data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

Key information about United Arab Emirates Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• United Arab Emirates Current Account surplus accounted for 11.6 % of the country's Nominal GDP in Dec 2021, compared with a 6.0 % surplus in the previous year.
• United Arab Emirates Current Account Balance: % of Nominal GDP data is updated yearly, available from Dec 1996 to Dec 2021, with an average value of 7.8 %.
• The data reached an all-time high of 20.7 % in Dec 2012 and a record low of -0.1 % in Dec 1998.

CEIC calculates annual Current Account Balance as % of Nominal GDP from annual Current Account Balance and annual Nominal GDP. The Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates provides Current Account Balance in local currency. Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre provides Nominal GDP in local currency based on SNA 2008. Nominal GDP prior to 2010 is based on SNA 1993.


Key information about United Arab Emirates Current Account Balance: % of GDP

• In the latest reports of United Arab Emirates, Current Account recorded a surplus of 48.0 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increased by 20.7 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• United Arab Emirates Direct Investment Abroad expanded by 22.5 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• Its Foreign Portfolio Investment increased by 1.2 USD bn in Dec 2021.
• The country's Nominal GDP was reported at 117.3 USD bn in Mar 2022.

The population share with a banking account in the United Arab Emirates was forecast to remain on a similar level in 2029 as compared to 2024 with 99.9 percent. According to this forecast, the banking account penetration will stay nearly the same over the forecast period. Notably, the population share with a banking account of was continuously increasing over the past years.The penetration rate refers to the share of the total population with a bank account.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in up to 150 countries and regions worldwide. All indicators are sourced from international and national statistical offices, trade associations and the trade press and they are processed to generate comparable data sets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the population share with a banking account in countries like Iraq and Qatar.

The United Arab Emirates: People with bank accounts, percent of the population over 14 years of age: The latest value from 2021 is 84.56 percent, a decline from 87.39 percent in 2017. In comparison, the world average is 65.76 percent, based on data from 121 countries. Historically, the average for the United Arab Emirates from 2011 to 2021 is 78.72 percent. The minimum value, 59.73 percent, was reached in 2011 while the maximum of 87.39 percent was recorded in 2017.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Banking System data was reported at -7.100 AED bn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -6.800 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Banking System data is updated yearly, averaging -1.599 AED bn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2017, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 8.800 AED bn in 2006 and a record low of -7.100 AED bn in 2017. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Banking System data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

Émirats arabes unis: Current account balance forecast, percent of GDP: Pour cet indicateur, International Monetary Fund fournit des données pour la Émirats arabes unis de 1980 à 2030. La valeur moyenne pour Émirats arabes unis pendant cette période était de 9.5 pour cent avec un minimum de 0.05 pour cent en 1994 et un maximum de 24.18 pour cent en 1980.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF data was reported at -996.800 AED bn in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of -864.400 AED bn for 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF data is updated yearly, averaging -655.766 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2021, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -94.830 AED bn in 1996 and a record low of -1,013.700 AED bn in 2014. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

The foreign exchange reserve in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reached ***** billion U.S. dollars in 2019, compared to about **** billion U.S. dollars in 2015. The country's current account surplus and growing foreign exchange reserves strengthened its economy.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Free Zone data was reported at -315.300 AED bn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -274.000 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Free Zone data is updated yearly, averaging -116.010 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -10.830 AED bn in 1996 and a record low of -315.300 AED bn in 2017. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Free Zone data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Foreign Hydrocarbon Companies in UAE data was reported at -6.800 AED bn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -6.600 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Foreign Hydrocarbon Companies in UAE data is updated yearly, averaging -10.275 AED bn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2017, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -6.600 AED bn in 2016 and a record low of -20.900 AED bn in 2007. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Foreign Hydrocarbon Companies in UAE data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

The access to services of banks or similar organizations differs widely worldwide depending on the country. While the whole population in all the Nordic countries, the Netherlands, Australia, and Canada had access to banks (meaning an “unbanked” population of **** percent), countries like Morocco and Vietnam had very high unbanked population. Morocco was the country with the lowest share of bank account owners: less than ** percent as of 2017. Vietnam, Egypt, and the Philippines were other countries with very high share of unbanked populations. Why are people unbanked? Countries with high shares of unbanked, such as Morocco and the abovementioned, are typically less stable economies with a less developed financial system. It is generally also countries where the citizens have little trust in the banking system. Although these countries have the highest shares of unbanked, the lack of access to services of banks or similar organizations are also present in more developed and financially stable countries as well. In the United States for example, ***** percent of the population are unbanked. The most common reason for this, according to U.S. financial households in 2019, was that they had too little money. Financial services often cost money and comes with fees, and without sufficient finances, customers might find it too expensive to open a bank account. Did the situation change after COVID-19? It can be seen, at least in Latin American countries, that the share of unbanked population dropped because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as various social benefit programs were introduced to alleviate the economic impact of the pandemic. The change in unbanked population was especially apparent in Brazil, where the share dropped by ** percent in 2020.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Transfers: Public data was reported at -22.000 AED bn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of -22.200 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Transfers: Public data is updated yearly, averaging -2.092 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -0.800 AED bn in 1997 and a record low of -32.300 AED bn in 2015. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Transfers: Public data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Net data was reported at 94.500 AED bn in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of 59.700 AED bn for 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Net data is updated yearly, averaging -38.810 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2021, with 26 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 94.500 AED bn in 2021 and a record low of -173.200 AED bn in 2012. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Net data was reported at -2.700 AED bn in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of -6.900 AED bn for 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Net data is updated yearly, averaging 5.200 AED bn from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2021, with 21 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 30.750 AED bn in 2007 and a record low of -6.900 AED bn in 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Net data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Private Non Banks data was reported at -5.000 AED bn in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of -4.900 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Private Non Banks data is updated yearly, averaging -3.850 AED bn from Dec 2002 (Median) to 2017, with 16 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.450 AED bn in 2002 and a record low of -6.119 AED bn in 2011. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Investment Income: Private Non Banks data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Others data was reported at -663.800 AED bn in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of -694.900 AED bn for 2016. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Others data is updated yearly, averaging -343.384 AED bn from Dec 1996 (Median) to 2017, with 22 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -84.000 AED bn in 1996 and a record low of -696.400 AED bn in 2014. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Imports: CIF: Others data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Debit: Other Services: ICT: Computer data was reported at -5.500 AED bn in 2021. This records an increase from the previous number of -5.800 AED bn for 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Debit: Other Services: ICT: Computer data is updated yearly, averaging -2.500 AED bn from Dec 2014 (Median) to 2021, with 8 observations. The data reached an all-time high of -1.800 AED bn in 2014 and a record low of -5.800 AED bn in 2020. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Services: Debit: Other Services: ICT: Computer data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.

United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: CIF data was reported at 176.200 AED bn in 2019. This records a decrease from the previous number of 218.600 AED bn for 2018. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: CIF data is updated yearly, averaging 136.100 AED bn from Dec 2001 (Median) to 2019, with 19 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 379.000 AED bn in 2012 and a record low of 33.501 AED bn in 2002. United Arab Emirates BoP: Current Account: Trade Balance: CIF data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United Arab Emirates – Table AE.JB001: Balance of Payments.