The Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry has seen a 4.9% rise in its membership base over the past 12 months, bringing the total number of registered businesses to over 158,000, according to a Friday release. The figures reflect sustained economic dynamism across multiple sectors.
Strong performance across priority sectors
Leading the surge were agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which recorded an impressive 21% increase. Arts and entertainment followed with 13%, and information and communication technologies, along with technical activities, grew by 10%.
Sectors such as water and waste management (9%), real estate and administrative services (8%), education (7%), transport and storage (6%), and mining and quarrying (5%) also showed solid expansion. Growth in construction, manufacturing, and finance remained stable at approximately 3%.
Chamber activity and support
Over the year, more than 1,000 representatives from the private sector took part in 69 events and 10 targeted workshops. Fifteen advocacy groups were active in driving policy improvements, and 364 economic studies were issued to guide business and government strategy.
International engagement milestones
In line with its globalisation goals, the Chamber opened its first international office in Poland and signed 25 cooperation agreements with global partners. It responded to over 18,900 service requests, achieving a customer satisfaction score of 90.23% via the TAMM platform.
The Al Ain branch introduced a new programme last month focused on boosting engagement with small and medium enterprises in retail, tourism, and agriculture. By conducting field visits and collecting feedback directly, the initiative aims to fine-tune policy and support mechanisms.
Macro-economic highlights
Abu Dhabi’s non-oil foreign trade climbed by 9% last year, with exports rising 16% and re-exports 11%. In Q1 2025, the emirate’s GDP hit $79.2 billion—a 3.4% increase compared to the previous year. Non-oil sectors drove the momentum, growing 6.1% and contributing 56.2% to total GDP, led by industry, transport, finance, and tech.
The UAE’s broader non-oil private sector continued to show resilience in June despite prevailing geopolitical uncertainties.
