Oil rents as a share of GDP in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Oil rents as a share of GDP was 15.7% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Oil rents as a share of GDP in United Arab Emirates, 1975–2021
Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2021, oil rents as a share of gdp in United Arab Emirates stood at 15.7%.
That represents a change of up 49.4% on the previous year and down 45.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil rents as a share of gdp in United Arab Emirates peaked at 56.0% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 10.5%, in 2020.
United Arab Emirates ranks 12th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Oil rents as a share of GDP in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 37.4% | — |
| 1976 | 36.9% | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 30.9% | -16.3% |
| 1978 | 31.5% | +1.9% |
| 1979 | 56.0% | +78.1% |
| 1980 | 41.9% | -25.2% |
| 1981 | 33.0% | -21.2% |
| 1982 | 22.9% | -30.7% |
| 1983 | 23.7% | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 25.8% | +8.7% |
| 1985 | 23.7% | -7.9% |
| 1986 | 17.0% | -28.3% |
| 1987 | 22.9% | +34.6% |
| 1988 | 20.4% | -11.1% |
| 1989 | 28.6% | +40.6% |
| 1990 | 35.3% | +23.4% |
| 1991 | 23.5% | -33.4% |
| 1992 | 23.3% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 20.8% | -10.8% |
| 1994 | 17.0% | -18.4% |
| 1995 | 16.3% | -3.7% |
| 1996 | 19.1% | +16.9% |
| 1997 | 17.0% | -11.2% |
| 1998 | 10.8% | -36.1% |
| 1999 | 13.4% | +23.5% |
| 2000 | 20.8% | +55.9% |
| 2001 | 15.8% | -24.2% |
| 2002 | 14.6% | -7.3% |
| 2003 | 17.8% | +21.6% |
| 2004 | 20.9% | +17.5% |
| 2005 | 23.9% | +14.5% |
| 2006 | 25.9% | +8.1% |
| 2007 | 23.7% | -8.4% |
| 2008 | 26.7% | +12.5% |
| 2009 | 18.4% | -30.9% |
| 2010 | 22.7% | +23.1% |
| 2011 | 28.6% | +26.1% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | -5.4% |
| 2013 | 26.2% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 22.9% | -12.6% |
| 2015 | 13.1% | -42.9% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | -15.4% |
| 2017 | 13.5% | +21.8% |
| 2018 | 17.1% | +26.7% |
| 2019 | 15.7% | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 10.5% | -33.1% |
| 2021 | 15.7% | +49.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.5% | 30.9% | 56.0% | 5 |
| 1980s | 26.0% | 17.0% | 41.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 19.7% | 10.8% | 35.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 20.9% | 14.6% | 26.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.8% | 11.1% | 28.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.1% | 10.5% | 15.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 9 Azerbaijan 21.0% compare
- 10 Iran, Islamic Republic of 18.3% compare
- 11 Chad 16.8% compare
- 13 Gabon 15.6% compare
- 14 Qatar 15.3% compare
- 15 Equatorial Guinea 14.9% compare
More energy & mining data for United Arab Emirates
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 3.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 4.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil rents as a share of gdp in United Arab Emirates?
- Oil rents as a share of gdp in United Arab Emirates was 15.7% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 56.0% in 1979.
- What is the lowest oil rents as a share of gdp recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.5% in 2020.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for oil rents as a share of gdp?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 12th out of 199 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil rents as a share of gdp rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil rents as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Economic profits generated from oil extraction, measured as the difference between production value and costs, expressed as a percentage of gross domestic product.