Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade reached Dhs61.5bn in Q1 2022

The total value of Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade in the first quarter of 2022 amounted to Dhs61.522bn, a 15 per cent increase compared to Q1 2021.

Exports recorded a growth of 35 per cent year-on-year and were valued at Dhs24.449bn, while imports recorded an increase of 5 per cent and were reported at Dhs25.374bn.

Re-exports meanwhile were valued at Dhs11.698bn, a 4 per cent increase compared to Dhs11.237bn last year, according to news agency WAM.

The value of trade-in commodities from ordinary metals and their products exceeded Dhs12.83bn, a rise of 27 per cent, compared to Dhs9.491bn in the Q1 2021, while the trade in pearls, precious stones, precious metals, and their products, recorded a growth of 78 per cent during over the same period.

The trade of wood and its products, cork, mats and baskets grew by 47 per cent, while the trade of leather goods, animal kits and travel supplies grew 43 per cent.

Saudi Arabia accounted for the largest share of total trade of 23 per cent, valued at Dhs13.921bn, followed by Switzerland at 8 per cent, the US at 7 per cent, China with five percent, and India with 5 per cent.

Overall, Abu Dhabi’s GDP at constant prices grew 1.9 per cent in 2021 compared with 2020, while its non-oil GDP at constant prices grew by 4.1 per cent. The non-oil activities contributed 49.7 per cent of the GDP at constant prices in 2021. In 2021, according to figures shared by the Statistics Centre-Abu Dhabi (SCAD), the growth rates across several non-oil activities including agriculture, forestry, and fishing grew 23.1 per cent while the manufacturing expanded 21.7 per cent, health and social service by 19.7 per cent, arts, entertainment and recreation by 17.3 per cent, wholesale and retail trade by 15.3 per cent, accommodation and food service activities by 14.7 per cent, transportation and storage by 7 per cent, and electricity, gas, water supply and waste management activities by 6.9 per cent. Mining and quarrying activity (which includes crude oil and natural gas) contributed approximately 50.3 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s real GDP in 2021.

Read: Abu Dhabi’s non-oil real GDP grew 4.1% in 2021