Seven in one
The United Arab Emirates is a Middle Eastern country made up of seven emirates: Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Qaiwain. It is home to some nine million people, roughly three quarters of whom live in the capital Abu Dhabi and in Dubai.
Thanks to its rich oil and gas reserves, the UAE is one of the world’s wealthiest nations. The UAE is one of Germany’s main trading partners in the Middle East. Not only has a strategic partnership been in place between the two countries since 2004, but – in the words of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWi) – they have also been united in “an active energy partnership” for more than four years, particularly in respect of the use of hydrogen. However, this is just one of many examples illustrating how the UAE is successfully working hard to expand its expertise to sectors beyond oil and gas.
United Arab Emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Population in 2021: 4,9 m.*
Total area: 98,648 km²
GDP per capita in 2021: 43,538 US-$*
- 2016 | 14.73 million TEU 95%
- 2017 | 15.37 million TEU 100%
- 2018 | 14.95 million TEU 97%
- 2019 | 14.11 million TEU 93%
- 2020 | 13.5 million TEU 91%
Source: Statista
Main imports in 2020
%
Gold
%
<p>Electronics</p>
%
Oil
Main exports in 2020
%
Oil
%
<p>Petrochemicals</p>
%
<p>Electronics</p>
Main suppliers in 2020
- 1. China 15.9%
- 2. USA 6.7%
- 3. India 6.7%
- 5. Germany 3.5%
Main buyers in 2020
- 1. Saudi Arabia 6.5%
- 2. Iraq 3.9%
- 3. India 3.4%
German exports to the UAE in 2020
- 1. Other vehicles 18.7%
- 2. Machinery 17.2%
- 3. Cars and auto parts 15.5%
German imports from the UAE in 2020
- 1. Non-ferrous metals 46.1%
- 2. Electrical engineering 8,6%
- 3. Other vehicles 8.4%
*provisional figure, estimate/forecast
Photos: Freepik/graphixdxinerz, istockphoto/Ben Pankhurst
