The Middle East Economy

Like most of the UAE, Abu Dhabi’s population is largely made up of expatriate employees and foreign workers. As of 2011, the most recent year for which full statistics are available, non-nationals accounted for 80% of the emirate’s total population, according to the Statistics Centre – Abu Dhabi (SCAD). While this number has grown slightly since...

Thanks in large part to high oil prices and an increase in its hydrocarbons production, Abu Dhabi continued its economic recovery in 2011. Hydrocarbons remain at the centre of the emirate’s economy, accounting for nearly half of its GDP and almost 90% of government revenues in 2010. However, the government has a different vision for the future of...

While the government plays a key role in supporting residents in need, several charitable organisations are also part of the landscape of the emirate and the larger UAE. Some of these groups are explicitly focused on domestic issues, while others look further afield and financially support development projects abroad.

In late January 2012 the Abu Dhabi Technology Development Committee (TDC) launched a new initiative with the goal of stoking innovation and knowledge-based economic development. Known as Takamul – which means “integration” in Arabic – the programme offers financial support and legal guidance to local start-ups, entrepreneurs, and other...

As the home of the federal seat and the location of the great majority of the UAE’s oil reserves, Abu Dhabi has played a key role in developing the country’s reputation as a major political and economic player. While trade and other economic ties have been central to the UAE’s foreign policy for years, over the past decade energy policy, in...

The government’s strong fiscal balance means Abu Dhabi has only needed to issue a limited number of sovereign bonds. When the emirate has sold government securities at all, it has mainly been for the purpose of establishing a yield curve for the private sector.