Total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Total natural resource rents was 17.6% in 2021. ▼ Falling
Total natural resource rents 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
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates is 17.6%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 47.3% on the previous year and down 40.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates peaked at 56.7% in 1979 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2016.
That places United Arab Emirates 31st out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 47 years of available data.
Total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 37.6% | — |
| 1976 | 37.0% | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 31.2% | -15.9% |
| 1978 | 32.0% | +2.6% |
| 1979 | 56.7% | +77.4% |
| 1980 | 42.3% | -25.3% |
| 1981 | 33.4% | -21.1% |
| 1982 | 23.0% | -31.1% |
| 1983 | 24.3% | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 26.4% | +8.9% |
| 1985 | 24.7% | -6.7% |
| 1986 | 18.4% | -25.5% |
| 1987 | 24.3% | +32.4% |
| 1988 | 21.8% | -10.5% |
| 1989 | 30.1% | +38.3% |
| 1990 | 36.6% | +21.7% |
| 1991 | 24.9% | -31.9% |
| 1992 | 24.8% | -0.7% |
| 1993 | 22.2% | -10.5% |
| 1994 | 18.3% | -17.5% |
| 1995 | 17.9% | -2.1% |
| 1996 | 20.7% | +15.9% |
| 1997 | 18.7% | -9.8% |
| 1998 | 12.5% | -32.9% |
| 1999 | 14.9% | +18.6% |
| 2000 | 22.4% | +50.7% |
| 2001 | 17.6% | -21.4% |
| 2002 | 16.2% | -7.7% |
| 2003 | 19.2% | +18.3% |
| 2004 | 22.2% | +15.7% |
| 2005 | 25.3% | +14.0% |
| 2006 | 27.2% | +7.4% |
| 2007 | 24.9% | -8.3% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | +11.1% |
| 2009 | 19.7% | -28.9% |
| 2010 | 23.8% | +20.6% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | +25.2% |
| 2012 | 28.2% | -5.3% |
| 2013 | 27.4% | -3.0% |
| 2014 | 24.0% | -12.4% |
| 2015 | 14.0% | -41.4% |
| 2016 | 11.8% | -16.0% |
| 2017 | 14.3% | +21.4% |
| 2018 | 18.2% | +26.9% |
| 2019 | 16.9% | -7.1% |
| 2020 | 12.0% | -29.1% |
| 2021 | 17.6% | +47.3% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 17.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1%, 147.9× the median. (82 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 17.6% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 5.1%, 3.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 38.9% | 31.2% | 56.7% | 5 |
| 1980s | 26.9% | 18.4% | 42.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.1% | 12.5% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 22.3% | 16.2% | 27.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.8% | 11.8% | 29.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.8% | 12.0% | 17.6% | 2 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 28 Mali 18.4% compare
- 29 Solomon Islands 18.4% compare
- 30 Cape Verde 17.7% compare
- 32 Chile 16.9% compare
- 33 New Caledonia 16.8% compare
- 34 Bahrain 16.6% compare
More reference data data for United Arab Emirates
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0407 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4839 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0486 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0008 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates?
- Total natural resource rents in United Arab Emirates was 17.6% 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 total natural resource rents recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 56.7% in 1979.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2016.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for total natural resource rents?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 31st out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.8%. 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 Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 47 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.