Government net lending/borrowing in United Arab Emirates

International Monetary Fund · Annual · Importance

IMF forecast (WEO): 2026: 4.9% 2027: 4.8% 2028: 4.7% 2029: 4.7% 2030: 4.6% 2031: 4.5%

1.3 (1999) ANUAL · % of GDP · Annual · CSV

Period	% of GDP
Jan 1999	1.3
Jan 1998	1.0
Jan 1997	6.7
Jan 1996	0.9
Jan 1995	3.6
Jan 1994	-1.8
Jan 1993	-2.9
Jan 1992	3.3
Jan 1991	3.9

About this indicator

Source

International Monetary Fund

Frequency

Annual

Release

Published annually (with quarterly advance estimates in some economies), subject to revision with the national accounts.

What it is

The United Arab Emirates' government deficit is the negative balance of the public accounts when spending exceeds revenue in a year; when revenue exceeds spending there is a surplus. It is usually expressed as a percentage of GDP.

How it's calculated

It is calculated as the difference between the general government's non-financial revenue and expenditure, following the IMF's government finance statistics methodology. In the UAE, hydrocarbon revenue weighs heavily on the outcome.

Market implications

The deficit determines the state's financing needs and the path of public debt. In an oil-dependent economy such as the UAE's, the fiscal balance is highly sensitive to crude prices and is a key reference for rating agencies.

Limitations

It is a low-frequency reading subject to revision. It is worth distinguishing the headline balance from the primary balance (which excludes interest) and from the oil-linked cyclical component, which can flip the outcome from one year to the next.