Economy - overview:
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, 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. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $53 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $22,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 46%
services: 51% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.8% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
1.6 million (2000 est.)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
services 78%, industry 15%, agriculture 7% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $20 billion
expenditures: $22 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries:
petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2000)
Electricity - production:
37.74 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
35.1 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
2.566 million bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
310,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
80.31 billion bbl (January 2002 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
5.892 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.)
Agriculture - products:
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Exports:
$44.9 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners:
Japan 29.1%, South Korea 10.2%, India 5.4%, Oman 3.7%, Singapore 3.1%, Iran 2.2% (chiefly re-exports) (2001)
Imports:
$30.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners:
US 6.7%, Germany 6.6%, Japan 6.5%, France 6.3%, China 6.1%, UK 5.9%, South Korea 5.5% (2001)
Debt - external:
$18.5 billion (2002 est.)
Currency:
Emirati dirham (AED)
Currency code:
AED
Exchange rates:
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001), 3.6725 (2000), 3.6725 (1999), 3.6725 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
NOTE: The information regarding United Arab Emirates on this page is re-published from the 2003 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Guinea Geography 2003 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about United Arab Emirates Economy 2003 should be addressed to the CIA.
