UAE-US Trade

Since 2009, the UAE has been the number one export market for US goods in the entire Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

Embassy Trade 2023

In 2023, bilateral trade totaled $31.4 billion, with the US exporting more than $24.8 billion of goods and services to the UAE — a 19% increase from 2022. The resulting $18.3 billion trade surplus for the US is America’s fourth largest trade surplus globally.

This robust trade relationship reflects the success of the UAE’s increasingly diverse economy, with non-oil sectors accounting for more than 70% of the UAE’s GDP.

Top categories of US exports in 2023 included: transportation and logistics, computer and electronics and manufacturing. US trade with the UAE supports 145,000 American jobs, strengthening the importance of the continued bilateral trade relationship.

UAE investment into the US, as well as exports from the US to the UAE, contribute significantly to the American economy. In 2022, UAE direct investment in the US reached $38.1 billion. According to data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, there were more than 24,300 American workers employed by US affiliates of majority-owned UAE firms as of 2021.

Key Facts

  • The UAE trades with all 50 US states.
  • Vehicles and parts was top category of US exports ($4.56 billion), accounting for approximately 18% of total exports in 2023. 
  • Other top categories of US exports in 2023 included: nuclear reactors ($3.76 billion), electric machinery ($3.57 billion), and aircrafts ($2.99 billion). 
  • The UAE is one of the largest Foreign Military Sales customers of the US, purchasing more than $20 billion in US defense hardware and services over the past decade, including one of the world’s largest non-US F-16 fleets.
  • Infrastructure development projects across the UAE are driving growth and supporting billions in US exports. Projects include the development of a new railway; network support for the UAE civilian nuclear energy program; the construction of new airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; and the expansion of commercial seaports across the UAE.