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Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of Foreign Trade, stated that non-oil trade between the UAE and BRICS countries exceeded $312 billion in 2025, a 28.5 percent rise from $243 billion a year earlier. The minister made the comments in New Delhi where the UAE is participating in the 18th BRICS Summit with a delegation headed by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. BRICS nations accounted for more than 30 percent of the UAE’s total non-oil trade last year, he added.
According to data released by the Emirates News Agency, BRICS supplied 34 percent of the UAE’s imports while receiving 23 percent of its non-oil exports and accounting for 28 percent of re-exports in 2025. Al Zeyoudi described BRICS as a vital platform for practical economic cooperation during the summit that concludes on September 13. The strong performance builds on the UAE’s full membership in the group that began in January 2024.
Ministry of Foreign Trade figures show non-oil trade with China reached $111.5 billion in 2025, an increase of 24.5 percent that took the total above $100 billion for the first time. Trade with India stood at $76.2 billion after 17.3 percent growth, supported by the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement in effect since May 2022. Flows with Russia climbed 77.7 percent to $20.4 billion, nearly double the 2022 level, while bilateral trade with Brazil surpassed $5.4 billion.
Al Zeyoudi noted that the UAE had strengthened partnerships with BRICS members even before joining the expanded group of 10 nations, which a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development report places at approximately 40 percent of the global population and 25 percent of world GDP. The minister pointed to the bloc’s vast markets, young populations, rapidly growing economies and advanced industrial bases as factors supporting further cooperation. He stressed the importance of using the summit for bilateral talks to advance trade facilitation and expand the scope of economic agreements.
Federal statistics indicate the UAE’s overall non-oil foreign trade climbed more than 26 percent to AED 3.8 trillion in 2025, with non-oil exports rising 45 percent. In the first half of 2026, non-oil trade reached a record AED 1.94 trillion while non-oil exports increased to AED 453 billion. These gains reflect the country’s broader push to diversify its economy through multiple Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreements, 18 of which are now in force across several continents.
In statements to the Emirates News Agency, Al Zeyoudi said the growing trade indicators reflect promising prospects for future economic growth with BRICS countries. He explained that the UAE remains keen to maximise the summit’s discussions to advance trade facilitation efforts and open new markets for the private sector. The minister added that such partnerships align with the country’s strategic vision for economic diversification.
