Two-way investment brief
Australia–United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates direct investment in Australia
A$5.3 bn
Total United Arab Emirates investment in Australia
A$16.7 bn
Australian direct investment in United Arab Emirates
—
Total Australian investment in United Arab Emirates
A$9.8 bn
Trend
Direct investment in both directions
- United Arab Emirates in Australia
- Australia in United Arab Emirates
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
- Direct investment
- Portfolio investment
- Other investment
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Net transactions during the year; negative = net disinvestment
- United Arab Emirates → Australia
- Australia → United Arab Emirates
Source: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (5352.0).
Trade relationship
Australia–United Arab Emirates trade
Investment and trade move together: the partners that invest most in Australia are usually major trading partners too. Goods trade is recorded monthly (latest: July 2026); services annually.
Two-way trade, 2025
A$8.6 bn
Goods exports to United Arab Emirates, 2025
A$6.2 bn
Goods imports from United Arab Emirates, 2025
A$2.5 bn
Services trade, 2025
A$0 k
Calendar years, A$ (ABS merchandise trade)
- Exports to United Arab Emirates
- Imports from United Arab Emirates
Source: ABS, International Merchandise Trade (MERCH_EXP / MERCH_IMP), summed to calendar years.
Calendar years, A$ (ABS international trade in services by country)
- Exports to United Arab Emirates
- Imports from United Arab Emirates
Source: ABS, International Trade in Services by Country, calendar years.
Economic outlook
United Arab Emirates’s economy
| IMF World Economic Outlook | 2024 | 2025 | 2026forecast | 2027forecast | 2028forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real GDP growth | 4.0% | 5.8% | 3.1% | 5.3% | 4.6% |
| Inflation | 1.7% | 1.3% | 2.5% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Current account, % GDP | 15.4% | 15.3% | 11.4% | 11.4% | 9.8% |
| Fiscal balance, % GDP | 6.4% | 5.2% | 4.9% | 4.8% | 4.7% |
| Government gross debt, % GDP | 34.9% | 34.3% | 31.4% | 30.1% | 28.8% |
Source: IMF World Economic Outlook via the IMF DataMapper API. Years from 2026 are IMF projections; recent years may be estimates and are revised in each WEO round (April and October).
2025 at a glance
- New FDI from United Arab Emirates
- A$377 m
- New Australian FDI in United Arab Emirates
- —
- Direct investment income paid to investors
- A$125 m
- Direct investment income earned by Australians
- A$12 m
United Arab Emirates globally (World Bank)
- FDI outflows, 2024
- $77.2 bn · 8th
- FDI inflows, 2024
- $45.6 bn
- GDP, 2024
- $552 bn
- Region · income
- Middle East & North Africa · High income
Regulatory openness (OECD FDIRRI)
OECD index data loading — see FDI openness
Sources: ABS, International Investment Position, Australia: Supplementary Statistics (cat. 5352.0), 2025 release, released 2026-05-06 — levels at 31 December and calendar-year flows and income, A$ millions, immediate counterparty basis (investment routed via third economies is attributed to the intermediate economy). World Bank WDI (US$). OECD FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index. np = not published for confidentiality; included in totalsPrepared independently by FDIstats from public statistics; not an Australian Government publication and not investment advice. For foreign investment rules, see the Treasury and FIRB.