United Arab Emirates
Everything Palanor holds about United Arab Emirates, in one place: 172 public signals, what its economy runs on, how often America’s largest companies name it, the news that names it, and Country Posture. Every figure is computed from stored readings and carries its source and date.
AsiaMiddle East & North AfricaBRICSMiddle East & Africa
The latest read
- GDP in current U.S. dollars: $552.3 billion (2024); record high since 1970; 1y +5.7%.
- Real GDP growth: 3.99% (2024); 42nd percentile since 1971; lowest since 2020; 1y −0.31 pts.
- Consumer price inflation: 1.25% (2025); 42nd percentile since 2008; lowest since 2021; 1y −0.41 pts.
- Unemployment: 2.17% (2025); 41st percentile since 1991; highest since 2022; 1y +0.01 pts.
- Household consumption, share of GDP: 44.9% of GDP (2023); 54th percentile since 2001; highest since 2020; 1y +3.42 pts.
- Net exports, share of GDP: 14.7% of GDP (2023); 33rd percentile since 2001; lowest since 2009; 1y −3.71 pts.
- S&P 500 companies naming it on earnings calls: 2.41% of companies (2026-10-21); 74th percentile since Dec 2021; 1y −0.44 pts.
Country Posture
What United Arab Emirates’s economy is doing
Momentum
2024Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.590 below 0.60; AUC 0.590 below the single-input baseline (0.624); 2010–2022: AUC 0.595 below 0.60; AUC 0.595 below the single-input baseline (0.641).
Inputs
| Real GDP growth | 4.0 |
| Growth against its three-year average | -1.5 |
| Change in unemployment | 0.0 |
| Change in the employment rate | 0.1 |
| Export volume growth | 6.4 |
| OECD leading indicator | — |
Resilience
202578Deep buffers
0 = thin buffers · 100 = deep buffers
Inputs
| Interest as a share of revenue (2024) | 3.0 | 73 |
| Budget balance (2024) | 0.4 | 75 |
| Reserves, months of imports | 5.2 | 61 |
| Current account (2024) | 15.7 | 95 |
| Governance (WGI mean) | 0.63 | 85 |
| External debt | — | — |
Pressure
2025Inputs only. Did not pass the pre-registered back-test: 1996–2009: AUC 0.657 below the single-input baseline (0.672).
Inputs
| Inflation | 1.3 |
| Change in inflation | -0.4 |
| Currency move against the dollar | 0.0% |
| Conflict deaths per million | 0.0 |
| Political stability | 0.83 |
| Private credit, three-year change | — |
| Bond spread over U.S. Treasuries | — |
Posture describes what an economy is doing; it is not a rating and never ranks countries. Each input is read against the country’s own history and against every other economy that year. An axis shows a score only after passing a back-test fixed before any result was computed. Method and back-test.
Country Schemas
Where United Arab Emirates is in its cycles
Where United Arab Emirates sits in eight long cycles, each read from published statistics against a method fixed before any reading was computed. A stage describes; it is not a rating, and no stage is better or worse than another.
- Development stage
High mass consumption99% · 2025
Pre-take-offTake-offDrive to maturityHigh mass consumption20002025
- Demographic stage
Low stationary76% · 2025
High stationaryEarly expandingLate expandingLow stationaryDeclining20002025
- Debt cycle stage
Early cycle56% · 2024
Early cycleLeveragingLate cycleDeleveraging20002025
- External balance stage
Immature creditor63% · 2025
Immature debtorMature debtorDebt repayerImmature creditorMature creditorCredit disinvestor20002025
- Export structure stage
Commodity-reliant93% · 2025
Commodity-reliantDiversifyingManufacturing exporterComplex exporter20002025
- Structural pressure
Low95% · 2025
LowBuildingHighAcute20002025
- Middle-class stage
Withheld.
Pre-middle-classEmerging middle classMiddle-class majorityAffluent20132025
Withheld: too little of its evidence is published and fresh.
- Electoral cycle
No reading.
Post-electionMid-termPre-electionFederal National Council is advisory; 20 of 40 members are elected by appointed electoral colleges (about 399,000 members in 2023), the rest appointed, and there is no direct universal suffrage.
Passport reach
Where a United Arab Emirates passport opens doors
The share of world GDP, outside United Arab Emirates itself, in the economies whose published rules let a holder of this passport in, as of October 2026. Palanor records the rules of destinations holding 88% of world GDP, from each government’s own list, and weights them by World Bank GDP for 2025. Rank is among 199 passports.
Work
1.1%rank 107 of 199
the right to work (free movement in full; treaty and working-holiday routes at half); 1 destination in full.
Recorded changes
- 2023-12-23Türkiye · visit: E-visa before travel → Visa-free source
Investment migration programs
- UAE Golden Visa (investor: real estate / public investment) residence · OpenGovernment minimum $547,280 for one person, $552,165 for a family of four (agent fees excluded).
Reach is shown here and not weighted into Country Strength: it rewards membership of a free-movement area or a treaty more than the strength of an economy. Entry is always at the border officer’s discretion, and conditions (length of stay, fees, age limits) vary. Method, sources and the full ranking: Passports and citizenship.
Palanor calculation from each destination government's published rules; GDP weights from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0), one year for the whole line, so it moves only when a list changes.
GDP by expenditure
What United Arab Emirates’s economy runs on
In 2023, household spending was 44.9% of GDP, government consumption 12.2%, investment 26.6% and net exports +14.7% (exports 106.8%, imports 92.2%).
World Bank national accounts. The parts can miss 100 by a few points (the statistical discrepancy).
Same World Bank definition for every country, so the shares compare directly: What each economy runs on.
IMF World Economic Outlook
The IMF’s outlook for United Arab Emirates
The latest year before the October 2026 edition (often still an IMF estimate) and the IMF’s own projections. These are the IMF’s published forecasts, shown as published; Palanor does not project them further. Since the previous edition the IMF cut its growth forecast for this year by 7.0 percentage points (Palanor calculation).
| Measure | 2025 | 2026 IMF f’cast | 2027 IMF f’cast | 2031 IMF f’cast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth% | 6.2 | -3.9 | 7.7 | 3.5 |
| Inflation, average consumer prices% | 1.3 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| GDP, current US dollarsUS$ bn | 614.4 | 661.0 | 699.4 | 865.6 |
| GDP at purchasing-power parityintl $ bn | 975.4 | 968.8 | 1,076 | 1,410 |
| GDP per person, US dollarsUS$ | 54,151 | 57,109 | 59,499 | 70,216 |
| Current account balance% of GDP | 13.3 | 4.8 | 7.8 | 9.0 |
| Government gross debt% of GDP | 33.9 | 32.8 | 30.8 | 26.1 |
| Government overall balance% of GDP | 3.9 | 1.5 | 4.4 | 3.5 |
| Government primary balance% of GDP | 4.6 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 4.1 |
| Government net interest paid% of GDP · Palanor calc. | 0.7 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.6 |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database (edition on the projection). Dashed: the IMF's published projection.
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook Database, October 2026. Provided by the IMF “as is” and free of charge from the IMF; the IMF does not endorse Palanor. Net interest paid is a Palanor calculation: the IMF's primary balance minus its overall balance.
Charts
The headline series
Discourse
How often S&P 500 companies name United Arab Emirates
11 of 445 S&P 500 companies named United Arab Emirates on an earnings call in the 90 days to 2026-10-21. 2.7% list it in the risk factors of their latest 10-K. Names only, counted by fixed rules set before any document was read; a mention says the country came up, not why.
News
In the news
- UAE says Flydubai co-pilot planned Tel Aviv airport suicide attack
UAE prosecutors said the Omani co-pilot who attacked a FlyDubai captain intended to crash the plane into Tel Aviv airport.
Palanor Wire2026-10-09negative · -attack
- UAE calls FlyDubai co-pilot crash axe attack attempted terrorism
UAE prosecutors say a co-pilot tried to seize control of a FlyDubai flight with a crash axe.
Palanor Wire2026-10-03negative · -crash -attack
- UAE calls Flydubai co-pilot axe attack terrorism
UAE authorities are calling it a terrorist attack after the co-pilot attacked the captain with an axe on a Tel Aviv-bound flight carrying 182 people.
Palanor Wire2026-10-03negative · -attack
- New York pauses hyperscale data centers as AI infrastructure becomes policy target
Governor Hochul's statewide moratorium marks the first major U.S. infrastructure brake on the AI buildout, even as the UAE automates government and Brussels tightens tech enforcement.
Palanor Wire2026-07-15neutral
- Suez reopening compresses freight premium as OPEC supply discipline fractures
Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd return to the Red Sea route while UAE pushes output near record. Two structural reopenings in the same week.
Palanor Wire2026-07-06neutral
- OKX UAE Launches Tokenised US Stocks with 24/7 Trading on VARA Licence
Marketaux (financial news API)2026-10-22neutral
- EXCLUSIVE: Senior UAE diplomat Lana Nusseibeh enters race for UN chief reut.rs/4eKwCtE
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-21neutral
- The UAE’s ‘Zero Hormuz’ strategy runs through Fujairah
www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
Semafor · Bluesky2026-10-16neutral
- UAE stocks track global shares higher reut.rs/4ipMios
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-16neutral
- UAE had ‘clear incentives’ to influence Telegraph coverage, Ofcom finds
FT Companies2026-10-16neutral
- The UAE and Saudi Arabia accounted for almost 90% of the $2.98 billion that regional startups raised in the first nine months of the year.
www.semafor.com/article/10/1...
Semafor · Bluesky2026-10-13neutral
- Smart ring maker Ultrahuman to roll out biological-age model across UAE
TechCrunch2026-10-12neutral
- All 22 Indian crew rescued and safe after incident off UAE coast, consulate says reut.rs/4iaZaPf
Reuters · Bluesky2026-10-11neutral
- Huru Ties up with Paymentology and Bitpanda to Broaden UAE Ecosystem
Marketaux (financial news API)2026-10-11neutral
Headlines that name United Arab Emirates, matched by name with fixed rules (a wrong match is worse than a missing one). Tone is read from each headline’s own words; no model reads or summarizes an article, and other publishers’ stories link out.
Company graph
Companies headquartered in United Arab Emirates
Palanor’s company graph holds 181 entities headquartered here, 1 with a listed ticker (GLEIF headquarters address, else legal address).
- VEON Ltd.VEON · HAMILTON
Signals
Every series about United Arab Emirates
Grouped by theme, the most-read first. All 172 in the Library.
Growth and output10 of 29
- United Arab Emirates · GDP · USD bn (current)record high since 1970; 1y +5.7%$552.3bn2024
- United Arab Emirates · Real GDP Growth · % y/y42nd percentile since 1971; lowest since 2020; 1y −0.31 pts3.99%2024
- United Arab Emirates · Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added · % of GDP43rd percentile since 1975; highest since 2021; 1y +0.00537 pts0.77% of GDP2024
- United Arab Emirates · Industry (incl. Construction) Value Added · % of GDP13th percentile since 1975; lowest since 2020; 1y −1.07 pts44.3% of GDP2024
- United Arab Emirates · Manufacturing Value Added · % of GDP71st percentile since 1975; 1y −0.0849 pts9.37% of GDP2024
- United Arab Emirates · Services Value Added · % of GDP71st percentile since 1975; highest since 2020; 1y +1.07 pts54.9% of GDP2024
- United Arab Emirates: Share of World Populationrecord high since 1990; 1y +0.005 pts0.14% of world population2025
- United Arab Emirates · GDP per Capita · PPP USD24th percentile since 1990; highest since 2019; 1y +1.7%79,344 usd2024
- United Arab Emirates: Share of World GDP at Market Exchange Rates77th percentile since 1990; 1y +0.008 pts0.5% of world GDP2024
- United Arab Emirates: Share of World GDP Minus Share of World Population64th percentile since 1990; 1y +0.003 pts0.362024
Prices1 of 3
- United Arab Emirates · Inflation · CPI % y/y42nd percentile since 2008; lowest since 2021; 1y −0.41 pts1.25%2025
Jobs and people at work3 of 4
- United Arab Emirates · Female Labor Force Participation · %90th percentile since 1990; highest since 2022; 1y +0.51 pts53%2025
- United Arab Emirates · Male Labor Force Participation · %54th percentile since 1990; 1y −0.03 pts91.6%2025
- United Arab Emirates · Unemployment Rate · %41st percentile since 1991; highest since 2022; 1y +0.01 pts2.17%2025
Government and debt8
- United Arab Emirates · Budget Balance · % GDP59th percentile since 1991; lowest since 2020; 1y −35.9%3.95 pct_gdp2025
- United Arab Emirates · Government Spending · % GDP24th percentile since 1991; 1y +7.6%21.8 pct_gdp2025
- United Arab Emirates · Net Interest · % GDP96th percentile since 1991; highest since 1991; 1y +33.3%0.68 pct_gdp2025
- United Arab Emirates · Primary Balance · % GDP59th percentile since 1991; lowest since 2021; 1y −30.6%4.63 pct_gdp2025
- United Arab Emirates · Government Debt · % GDP94th percentile since 1999; highest since 2021; 1y +1.9%33.9 pct_gdp2025
- United Arab Emirates · Budget Balance · % GDP (central govt)74th percentile since 1997; 1y −48.0%0.39 pct_gdp2024
- United Arab Emirates · Interest · % of Revenue (central govt)1y +1.12 pts3.04%2024
- United Arab Emirates · Interest · % of Expense (central govt)1y +1.05 pts2.27%2023
Trade and capital flows7 of 8
- U.S. Equities Held in United Arab Emirates · USD bnrecord high since Sep 2011; 1y +14.0%270.8 $ billions2026-08-01
- United Arab Emirates's Share of Foreign-Held U.S. Equities · %17th percentile since Sep 2011; 1y −0.084 pts1.08% of foreign holdings2026-08-01
- U.S. Treasury Securities Held in United Arab Emirates98th percentile since Jan 2012; 1y +6.8%116.1 $ billions2026-08-01
- United Arab Emirates's Share of Foreign-Held U.S. Treasuries96th percentile since Jan 2012; 1y +0.069 pts1.24% of foreign holdings2026-08-01
- Gulf Sovereign Funds · Mubadala Group US Stock Holdingsrecord high since Dec 2023; 1y +86.8%35.5 USD billions2026-06-30
- United Arab Emirates · International Tourist Arrivals1y −68.0%8,084,000 arrivals2020
- United Arab Emirates · Current Account · % GDP1y +12.9%15.7 pct_gdp2024
Energy and resources10 of 16
- Crude Oil Production · United Arab Emiratesrecord high since Jan 1973; 1y +13.4%4,1702026-06-01
- United Arab Emirates · Bioenergy Share of Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y +0.03 pts0.41% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Carbon Intensity of Electricityrecord low since 2000; 1y −1.6%469.7 gCO2e/kWh2025
- United Arab Emirates · Coal Share of Electricity Generationrecord low since 2000; 1y unchanged0% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y +2.9%184.4 TWh2025
- United Arab Emirates · Gas Share of Electricity Generationrecord low since 2000; 1y −1.29 pts68% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Other Fossil Fuels Share of Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y +0.02 pts0.38% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Solar Share of Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y +1.82 pts9.87% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Wind and Solar Share of Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y +1.81 pts9.99% of generation2025
- United Arab Emirates · Wind Share of Electricity Generationrecord high since 2000; 1y unchanged0.12% of generation2025
Conflict and geopolitics5 of 9
- U.S. Active-Duty Troops in United Arab Emirates (DMDC)record low since Sep 2008; 1y −3.1%125 persons2026-08-31
- United Arab Emirates · Governance · WGI six-dimension meanrecord high since 1996; 1y +3.3%0.63 index2025
- United Arab Emirates · Political Stability · WGI50th percentile since 1996; highest since 2022; 1y +4.7%0.83 index2025
- United Arab Emirates · Regulatory Quality · WGIrecord high since 1996; 1y +7.8%1.17 index2025
- United Arab Emirates · Rule of Law · WGIrecord high since 1996; 1y +1.9%0.54 index2025
Aid in and out3
- United Arab Emirates · Humanitarian Funding (FTS) · US$ billions94th percentile since 2000; highest since 2018; 1y +46.6%1.84 US$ billions2025
- United Arab Emirates · Foreign Aid (Official Development Assistance) · US$ billions83rd percentile since 2015; highest since 2018; 1y +63.6%3.41 US$ billions2025
- United Arab Emirates · ODA as % of GNI81st percentile since 2018; highest since 2018; 1y +0.24 pts0.61% of GNI2025
Migration4 of 6
- International Migrant Stock: United Arab Emirates (UN)record high since 19908,157,000 people2024
- International Migrants as a Share of Population: United Arab Emirates (UN)56th percentile since 1990; lowest since 200574% of population2024
- U.S.-Born People Living in the United Arab Emirates (UN)record high since 199014,618 people2024
- Change in Migrant Share of Population Since 2000: United Arab Emirates (UN)lowest since 20056.032024
AI stance and technology1 of 3
- AI User Share: United Arab Emirates (Microsoft AI Diffusion)1y +13.90 pts73.3% of people aged 15-642026-06-30
Climate and the physical world6 of 8
- United Arab Emirates CO₂ Emissions (Global Carbon Budget)96th percentile since 1959; highest since 2016; 1y +5.5%222 Mt CO₂2024
- United Arab Emirates Cumulative CO₂ Emissions (Global Carbon Budget)record high since 1959; 1y +4.0%5.82 Gt CO₂2024
- United Arab Emirates · Arable Land · % of land87th percentile since 1961; 1y unchanged0.79% of land area2024
- United Arab Emirates · Renewable Freshwater · m³ per personrecord low since 1961; 1y −6.3%152022
- United Arab Emirates · Forest Area · % of landrecord high since 1990; 1y +0.01 pts4.57%2024
- United Arab Emirates · PM2.5 Exposure · µg/m³record low since 1990; 1y −13.3%35.4 µg/m³2020
Health and living standards6
- United Arab Emirates · Life Expectancy at Birth · yearsrecord high since 1960; 1y +0.2%83.1 years2024
- United Arab Emirates · Access to Electricity · % of populationrecord high since 1990; 1y unchanged100%2024
- United Arab Emirates · Human Development Index · UNDPrecord high since 1990; 1y +2.1%0.94 index2023
- United Arab Emirates · Basic Drinking Water Access · % of populationrecord high since 2000; 1y unchanged100%2024
- United Arab Emirates · Safely Managed Drinking Water · % of populationrecord high since 2000; 1y unchanged98.6%2024
- United Arab Emirates · Undernourishment · % of populationrecord low since 2001; 1y unchanged2.5%2024
Sentiment and attention1
- United Arab Emirates · Search Attentionrecord low since Oct 202544 index2026-09-27
More about this country3 of 15
- United Arab Emirates · Exchange Rate per US Dollar (IMF)52nd percentile since Jan 1966; 1y unchanged3.67 per USD2026-09-01
- United Arab Emirates · Total Reserves incl. Gold (IMF)98th percentile since Jun 1973; 1y −0.8%$266.8bn2026-08-01
- United Arab Emirates Real Effective Exchange Rate67th percentile since Jan 1994; lowest since Mar 2022; 1y −1.1%97.12026-08-01
Peers
Elsewhere in Asia
Alphabetical. Palanor does not rank countries.
AfghanistanArmeniaAzerbaijanBahrainBangladeshBhutanBruneiCambodiaChinaCyprusGeorgiaHong KongIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelJapanJordanKazakhstanKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonMacaoMalaysiaMaldivesMongoliaMyanmarNepalNorth KoreaOmanPakistanPalestinePhilippinesQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth KoreaSri LankaSyriaTaiwanTajikistanThailandTimor-LesteTürkiyeTurkmenistanUzbekistanVietnamYemen