During the first nine months of 2025, GCC nations represented almost half of all exports and re-exports by Dubai Chamber of Commerce members, new data reveals.
With goods valued at Dh125.3 billion directed toward the Gulf, the latest figures from Dubai Chamber of Commerce highlight the GCC’s pivotal role in Dubai’s global trade leadership, even as the emirate expands its global reach.
Dubai’s diverse trade strategy is evident in the full breakdown of destinations for 2025. Non-GCC Middle East received Dh75.7 billion (29.1%), African markets absorbed Dh26.1 billion (10%), Asia-Pacific got Dh21.9 billion (8.4%), Europe accounted for Dh7.8 billion (3%), and North America and Latin America took in about Dh1.8 billion (0.7%) and just over Dh1 billion (0.4%), respectively. Overall, exports and re-exports by Chamber members reached approximately Dh260 billion in the first nine months of 2025, marking a 16% year-on-year increase.
However, the GCC’s dominance in Dubai’s trade has slightly decreased compared to 2024, when Gulf markets comprised 52% of exports and re-exports (Dh161 billion), with Chamber-member trade reaching a record Dh309.6 billion, reflecting a 9.2% rise from 2023. Regions outside the GCC captured a more significant share, indicating Dubai’s expanding global presence.
This shift mirrors broader trends in the UAE. Recent trade data shows the country’s non-oil foreign trade hit Dh2.997 trillion in 2024, a 14.6% increase from the previous year. This rapid growth was largely driven by Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements (Cepas), which significantly boosted non-oil exports and re-exports. Cepas contributed Dh135 billion to non-oil trade in 2024, marking a 42% year-on-year increase. Non-oil exports rose to Dh561.2 billion, accounting for 18.7% of total trade, up from 16.8% in 2023.
The Cepas initiative is a strategic cornerstone of the UAE’s trade expansion, offering preferential access and tariff reductions across numerous partner countries, facilitating the growth of re-exports, manufacturing, logistics, and services. As UAE trade ties strengthen with countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and beyond—often beyond traditional Gulf or Middle East partners—Dubai’s role as a global re-export and logistics hub is reinforced.
Looking towards 2026, the 2025 data indicate strong potential for further growth. If Chamber members maintain stable or improved performance with both GCC and non-GCC markets, total exports and re-exports could easily surpass Dh300 billion. This scenario assumes ongoing global demand, stable regional logistics networks, and further use of Cepa-enabled trade corridors.
Moreover, the expanding Cepa network may open additional markets and reduce barriers, encouraging companies to diversify both destination and supply-chain geographies. As new agreements take effect—and existing partners deepen trade flows—Dubai is poised to consolidate its competitive edge as a gateway between Gulf markets, emerging economies in Africa and Asia, and key global trade corridors.
For GCC economies, Dubai’s trade remains crucial. The 48.2% share of Chamber-member trade going to Gulf states in 2025 confirms the GCC’s role as a stable foundation of regional commerce. For Gulf-based businesses, Dubai continues to serve as a re-export hub, supply-chain anchor, and trade-logistics center, reinforcing Gulf-wide economic integration.
Simultaneously, the shift towards non-GCC destinations indicates Dubai—and by extension, the UAE—are positioning for a more global footprint. As trade with Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas grows, Dubai’s merchants are leveraging its world-class logistics, free zones, and trade infrastructure to access distant markets.
Trade experts suggest that the emerging picture is of a dual-engine trade strategy: one firmly rooted in regional Gulf commerce, the other increasingly global in scope, driven by Cepa-enabled partnerships, re-exports, and supply-chain diversification.
“If 2026 unfolds as expected, Dubai Chamber member trade could surpass previous records—and the UAE’s overall non-oil trade may continue its upward trajectory. For policymakers, investors, and businesses, the 2025 results underscore the value of a hybrid trade model: one balancing Gulf stability with global ambition,” trade analysts noted.
“While GCC markets remain the cornerstone of Dubai’s trade, they are increasingly just one part of a broader, globalized commerce network—one that the UAE is methodically building through Cepa diplomacy, logistics investment, and export diversification,” they added.
