Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade increased 8% y-o-y in 2023, reaching over AED 281.9 bn, according to Abu Dhabi Customs statistics.

Imports are coming in strong: Imports climbed 19% y-o-y to surpass AED 136.4 bn in 2023, compared to AED 114.3 bn in 2022. Re-export activities in Abu Dhabi also grew 11% y-o-y to reach some AED 52.4 bn, up 11% y-o-y from AED 47.2 bn in 2022.

Driving growth: The growth in trade was attributed to the government’s economic diversification efforts and implementation of policies and initiatives to aimed at fostering a “business environment open to the global economies, thereby enhancing the country's competitiveness,” Director General of the General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori said, according to a statement from the Abu Dhabi Media Office.

Tech adoption played a part: The growth was also driven by the government adopting more updated technology, with Abu Dhabi Customs enhancing its operations and digital services by expanding its Invisible Customs System, such as the Trade chain platform. By introducing these initiatives, Abu Dhabi Customs aims to “streamline time and effort for customers, facilitate customs inspection procedures, and support the completion of transactions with high accuracy and speed,” Al Mansoori noted, emphasizing that the emirate has achieved a 100% compliance rate with the World Customs Organization's SAFE framework of standards.

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