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 - $53.97 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1.8% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $22,100 (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.) (2000 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 (37257)
Natural gas - production:
44.94 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
37.86 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
7.08 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
5.892 trillion cu m (37257)
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 27.8%, South Korea 10.1%, Singapore 3.8% (2002)
Imports:
$30.8 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners:
US 8.1%, China 7.8%, Japan 6.6%, Germany 6.5%, India 5.7%, France
5.6%, UK 5.4%, South Korea 5.1%, Iran 4.2% (2002)
Debt - external:
$18.5 billion (2002 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
$NA
Currency:
Emirati dirham (AED)
Currency code:
AED
Exchange rates:
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.67 (2002), 3.67 (2001), 3.67
(2000), 3.67 (1999), 3.67 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year