France and United Arab Emirates
Defense, investment, aviation and culture sustain a long-standing partnership. Gulf security, energy and digital infrastructure occupy a central place in their recent agenda.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07Military presence and an enduring partnership
The security relationship has a defense agreement signed in 1995 and renewed in 2009.
Businesses, aviation and new digital infrastructure
The bilateral economy goes beyond hydrocarbons.
Maritime security and May 2026 dialogue
The eighteenth strategic dialogue session met in Abu Dhabi on 6 May 2026.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | 12,826.53 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA |
| Goods: France to United Arab Emirates | 11,063.83 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA |
| Goods: United Arab Emirates to France | 1,762.7 M USD | 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA |
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: France to United Arab Emirates | 1.61 % | 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA |
| Export share: United Arab Emirates to France | ||
| Investment stock: France in United Arab Emirates | ||
| Investment stock: United Arab Emirates in France |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
- Goods trade
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA · Goods; full year; FRA reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: France to United Arab Emirates
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA · Goods; full year; FRA reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Goods: United Arab Emirates to France
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA · Goods; full year; FRA reporter. Exports normally FOB and imports CIF according to the reporter's coverage. No addition of mirror reports.
- Export share: France to United Arab Emirates
- 2025 · UN Comtrade / FRA · Goods share: FRA exports to the partner / the same reporter's exports to the world, same year.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
Some annual indicators refer to different years. Check the period beside each value before comparing them.
| Indicator | France | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 3.37 trillion USD2025 · WB | 552.32 billion USD2024 · WB |
| GDP per capita | 48,985.73 USD2025 · WB | 50,273.51 USD2024 · WB |
| GDP growth | 0.84 %2025 · WB | 3.99 %2024 · WB |
| Policy interest rate | 2.5 %2026-09-16 · BCE | |
| Inflation · annual average | 0.94 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | 1.25 %Annual average · 2025 · WB |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 3 %provisionalprovisionalYear-on-year · Sept. 2026 · Insee | |
| Unemployment | 7.54 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 2.17 %ILO est.2025 · WB |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -5.1 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 5.2 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 116 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | 34.3 %IMF est.2025 · IMF |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -0.27 %2025 · WB | 14.48 %2024 · WB |
| Population | 68,720,3372025 · WB | 10,986,4002024 · WB |
| Area | 606,410 km²2023 · BM / FAO | 98,648 km²2023 · WB |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)France: 2025 · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)France: 2026-09-16 · ECB deposit facility; shared euro-area rate · European Central Bank
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)France: 2025 · Annual average change in CPI (%) · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedFrance: 2026-09 · Change in headline CPI from the same month of the previous year (%) · Insee · Published: 2026-09-30 · provisional · Provisional · National headline CPI, year-on-year, not monthly inflation or an annual average. Provisional data or an official advance release; subject to revision.
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionFrance: 2025 · World Bank · ILO est.United Arab Emirates: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate; percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.United Arab Emirates: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)France: 2025 · IMF — World Economic Outlook · IMF est.United Arab Emirates: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · WEO general-government estimate, % of GDP. Not an observed balance for the current month.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Population
- PeopleFrance: 2025 · World BankUnited Arab Emirates: 2024 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date. Preliminary.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceFrance: 2023 · Total area, including inland waters; territorial coverage as defined by the source · World Bank · FAOUnited Arab Emirates: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series. Observation year, not download date.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
France to United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates to France
How trade has changed
Billions of current USD · full calendar years
View chart figures
| Period | Total | France to United Arab Emirates | United Arab Emirates to France |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 7,394.7 | 4,957.2 | 2,437.5 |
| 2022 | 7,829.3 | 4,852.4 | 2,976.9 |
| 2023 | 8,300.6 | 5,646.2 | 2,654.4 |
| 2024 | 10,084.6 | 7,084.9 | 2,999.7 |
| 2025 | 12,826.5 | 11,063.8 | 1,762.7 |
Connections between people
The French community, museums, universities and health cooperation sustain ongoing contacts. Consular registrations, resident estimates and tourists are different counts. [4] [3]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from France living in United Arab Emirates | ||
| Residents from United Arab Emirates living in France | ||
| Study and training: France in United Arab Emirates | ||
| Study and training: United Arab Emirates in France | ||
| Academic stays: France in United Arab Emirates | ||
| Academic stays: United Arab Emirates in France | ||
| Travel: France to United Arab Emirates | ||
| Travel: United Arab Emirates to France |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
Military presence and an enduring partnership
The security relationship has a defense agreement signed in 1995 and renewed in 2009. It includes permanent French forces in Abu Dhabi, exercises and military cooperation. The 2021 contract for eighty Rafale, twelve Caracal helicopters and associated equipment expanded the industrial and training dimension. The contracted number is not the number of aircraft already delivered. The relationship provides France with a regional presence and the Emirates with military capabilities and contacts; it coexists with other Emirati partners and does not make all political positions of both governments identical. [1] [2]
Businesses, aviation and new digital infrastructure
The bilateral economy goes beyond hydrocarbons. It includes equipment, cosmetics, air transport, finance and energy projects. France Diplomatie records more than six hundred French companies established in the Emirates and a February 2025 framework agreement to develop a one-gigawatt artificial intelligence campus in France. Planned capacity is not electricity already consumed or investment fully disbursed. The 2026 dialogue also addressed collaborations between investment entities, renewables, aviation and infrastructure. Export revenue and sales of locally established subsidiaries have different coverage. [2] [3]
Museums, universities and French residents
Louvre Abu Dhabi is a central institution in cultural cooperation, accompanied by exchanges in heritage, publishing, cinema and training. Academic and professional ties add to a substantial French community in the Gulf. The French diplomatic page distinguishes more than twenty-six thousand people on the consular register from a larger resident estimate; consular registration is not converted into a full nationality census, nor assigned an unspecified observation date. Everyday contacts include businesses, families and health professionals. Cultural cooperation operates on a different timescale from military decisions or regional crises. [4] [3]
The scale of the two economies
France's reference nominal GDP is USD 3366.3 billion in 2025, compared with 552.3 in 2024 for the United Arab Emirates. The reference populations are 68.72 million (2025) and 10.99 million (2024), respectively. The figures contextualize market size; they do not in themselves describe well-being, individual wealth or political influence. IMF estimates or demographic extrapolations retain their markings in the table. A ratio is not calculated when the periods do not match. [6] [7] [8] [9]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Maritime security and May 2026 dialogue
The eighteenth strategic dialogue session met in Abu Dhabi on 6 May 2026. Its declaration condemned Iranian attacks on the Emirates and other countries and advocated navigation through Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb. These are positions jointly expressed by governments, not a description of every verified military incident. The meeting also reviewed civilian nuclear energy, health, space and cultural cooperation. Maritime routes link security, trade and energy supply; disruption risks affect businesses and travelers as well as governments. That risk is not extrapolated to automatically reduce trade recorded in 2025 to zero. [3]
Observed economic exchange
In 2025, recorded goods trade between France and the United Arab Emirates totaled 12,826.5 million USD. Shipments from France to the United Arab Emirates were 11,063.8 million USD; those in the opposite direction were 1762.7 million USD. France's shipments to the partner represented 1.61% of its goods exports to the world, using the same year and reporter. A single customs declaration is used for both directions. This annual flow does not include all services activity or subsidiaries' local sales and is not added to accumulated investment capital. [5]
Milestones and consequences
- 1995
Defence agreement
A bilateral security framework is established. [1]
- 2009
Renewal and military presence
The defense cooperation arrangement is expanded. [1]
- 2021-12-03
Rafale and Caracal contract
Associated supplies and support are agreed, with their own schedule. [1]
- 2025-02
Artificial intelligence agreement
An infrastructure project in France is announced. [2]
- 2026-05-06
Strategic dialogue
Maritime security and sectoral cooperation are reviewed. [3]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Each figure retains its period, unit, definition and source. Announcements, contracts and results are not interchangeable. Empty cells do not mean zero. Customs data for 2025 are not presented as activity observed during later crises.
- Defense cooperation and 2021 contracts
Élysée · Institutional source · Document: 2021-12-03 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Political and economic relations with the Emirates
France Diplomatie · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- French-Emirati strategic dialogue of 2026
France Diplomatie · Institutional source · Document: 2026-05-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- French presence in the Emirates
France Diplomatie · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Annual TOTAL X/M; 2025; reporter 251; partners 0,76,818,784
UN Comtrade / FRA · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official statistics
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-09-17
- NY.GDP.MKTP.CD; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- Official statistics
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-06
- SP.POP.TOTL; ISO and reference year; no military dataset expansion
World Bank · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- HS2 33; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods
UN Comtrade / FRA · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- HS2 84; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods
UN Comtrade / FRA · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- HS2 88; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods
UN Comtrade / FRA · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
- HS2 27; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods
UN Comtrade / FRA · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07
Additional sources on products and human connections
- UN Comtrade / FRA
2026-10-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07 · HS2 33; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods.
- UN Comtrade / FRA
2026-10-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07 · HS2 88; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods.
- UN Comtrade / FRA
2026-10-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07 · HS2 84; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods.
- UN Comtrade / FRA
2026-10-07 · Accessed: 2026-10-07 · HS2 27; 2025; reporter 251; partners 76,818,784; X/M; annual goods.