Page 476 - MOE ENGLISH PR REPORT - APRIL 2025 (Part 1)

4/23/25, 4:22 PM UAE maintains global trade leadership, competitiveness: Al Zeyoudi | Business | emirates7
global trade.

He attributed this sustained growth in foreign trade to the country’s open-market

policies, its strong appeal to international investors, adaptable regulatory framework,
and the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Agreements (CEPA). These elements have collectively strengthened the UAE’s
integration into the global trading system.

Al Zeyoudi also acknowledged the essential contributions of semi-government bodies

and private sector players in enhancing the UAE’s international trade stature.

He shared that the UAE's foreign trade continues to expand significantly, with

preliminary data showing a 25 percent year-on-year increase in January 2025 alone.

Furthermore, Al Zeyoudi revealed that the UAE ranked among the world’s top
exporters of digital services in 2024—a sign of robust progress in this critical sector.

Noteworthy service areas experiencing strong growth include finance, hospitality,

information, and transport, with growth rates ranging from 9 to 14 percent.

According to the WTO, global trade in goods is projected to decline by 0.2 percent in
2025 due to current tariff regimes, followed by a modest 2.5 percent recovery in 2026.

Conversely, services trade—which is less impacted by tariffs—is expected to grow by
4.0 percent in 2025 and 4.1 percent in 2026.

The report also showed that in 2024, global trade in goods rose by 2.9 percent while
services trade surged by 6.8 percent. Despite these increases, global GDP grew by 2.8

percent. The value of goods exports reached US$24.43 trillion (a 2 percent rise), while
services exports jumped by 9 percent to US$8.69 trillion. Notably, services accounted

for 26.4 percent of global trade in 2024—the highest level since 2005.

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