Dubai-India Trade Doubles in a Decade to a Record AED 222.5 Billion as 85,841 Indian Companies Operate From Dubai

Published: 2026-08-25

Dubai’s non-oil trade with India reached a record AED 222.5 billion in 2025, more than double the AED 94.2 billion recorded in 2016, according to figures Dubai Chambers released on 2026-08-24. That is growth of 136.2% over a decade and 15% in the last year alone. Since the UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) took effect in May 2022, the bilateral non-oil trade of the emirate has risen a further 35%. India is now Dubai’s second-largest trading partner. The same data set shows 7,579 Indian companies joining Dubai Chamber of Commerce in the first half of 2026, taking the number of active Indian members to 85,841, and AED 32.3 billion of Indian investment flowing into Dubai between 2016 and 2025. The figures were presented by Mohammad Ali Rashed Lootah, President and CEO of Dubai Chambers, during a panel at The Economic Times World Leaders Forum 2026 in New Delhi, attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Where the numbers were announced and why the venue matters

Dubai Chambers chose a high-profile stage for the release. The Economic Times World Leaders Forum in New Delhi is one of India’s main policy and business gatherings, and the 2026 edition was attended by the Indian Prime Minister. Lootah used the panel to present a decade of trade, investment and membership data in one package, which is unusual: Dubai Chambers normally publishes trade statistics and membership numbers separately. Presenting them together to an Indian audience, days after a Dubai Chambers roadshow through Bengaluru, signals that the emirate treats India as a priority market rather than one partner among many.

The timing also follows a run of Dubai Chambers activity in India in August 2026: memoranda with NASSCOM and the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, roundtables with 71 Bengaluru investors, and now the New Delhi forum. Our earlier note on that mission is here: Dubai Chambers brings its investment pitch to 71 Bengaluru investors.

Dubai-India trade and investment in numbers

Two points stand out in the table. First, investment is genuinely two-way: Indian capital coming into Dubai (AED 32.3 billion) and Dubai capital going into India (AED 34.1 billion) are almost equal over the decade. Second, the membership number is large in absolute terms. With 85,841 active Indian companies, India is by far the largest foreign business community registered with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, and the 7,579 additions in six months work out to roughly 42 new Indian companies every working day.

What Indian companies in Dubai actually do

Dubai Chambers also broke down the active Indian membership by sector. Trade and services account for 45% of Indian companies registered with the chamber. Real estate, leasing and business services represent 27.3%, and construction accounts for 19%. Together these three groups cover more than 91% of the Indian business base in Dubai.

The profile is consistent with how Indian entrepreneurs have historically used the emirate: as a re-export and distribution hub for goods moving between South Asia, Africa and the Gulf, as a base for professional and business services, and, increasingly since 2022, as a property and asset-holding location. The sector split also explains why the trade figure and the company figure move together. Most of the 85,841 companies are trading houses and service providers whose revenue is directly tied to the AED 222.5 billion of goods crossing between Dubai and India.

Lootah pointed to the next layer of growth: agentic AI, deep technology, fintech and digital services. Dubai Chambers is building training pathways and incubators for companies working with agentic AI and expects this to draw Indian technology firms to set up operations in Dubai, develop solutions locally and partner with businesses in the emirate.

The CEPA effect: 35% in three and a half years

The UAE-India CEPA came into force on 2022-05-01. It was the first comprehensive trade agreement the UAE signed with any country and remains the template for the 38 CEPAs the country has concluded since. For Dubai, the measurable result is a 35% increase in non-oil trade with India between the agreement’s start and the end of 2025. Read together with the ten-year figure, this means more than half of the decade’s growth in the Dubai-India trade corridor happened after CEPA reduced tariffs and simplified market access.

The agreement matters for company owners in practical ways: preferential tariff treatment on qualifying goods in both directions, clearer rules of origin, and a framework for services and investment that makes it easier for an Indian firm to operate from a Dubai licence and for a Dubai firm to sell into India. We covered the mechanics and the four-year results in UAE-India CEPA at four years: what it means.

Why the numbers matter for entrepreneurs from India and the CIS

For an Indian business owner, the data confirm that Dubai is the established gateway for trading with the Gulf, Africa and beyond, with a peer group of nearly 86,000 compatriot companies already on the ground. That scale brings practical advantages: Indian-run banks, logistics providers, law firms and accountants are present in every free zone and on the mainland, and the ecosystem understands Indian corporate structures and documentation.

For entrepreneurs from Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and the wider CIS, the same corridor is relevant in a different way. Many trading companies set up in Dubai precisely because it sits between India and Europe, and the India-facing infrastructure built by 85,841 Indian companies, from freight forwarders to commodity traders, is available to any licensed Dubai business. A CIS-owned company in Dubai can buy from Indian suppliers under CEPA-linked supply chains, hold inventory in Jebel Ali or Dubai South and re-export without touching its home market.

The membership statistics also serve as a benchmark. Active membership of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce is mandatory for mainland companies and optional for most free-zone entities, so the 85,841 figure understates the true number of Indian-owned businesses in the emirate. The trend, +15% year on year, is the more useful signal: new registrations continue to grow despite higher office rents and a tighter compliance environment.

How to use the Dubai-India corridor: a checklist

• Choose the licence type by activity: trading in goods with India usually points to a mainland commercial licence or a free zone with logistics access (Jebel Ali, Dubai South, DMCC for commodities).
• Check CEPA eligibility for your product lines. Preferential tariffs apply only to goods that meet the agreement’s rules of origin and are accompanied by the correct certificate.
• Register with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce if you trade on the mainland. Membership is required for certificates of origin and gives access to chamber trade missions and business councils.
• Open the corporate bank account early. Banks in the UAE review trading companies with India-facing flows closely, and a clear supply-chain description with contracts speeds up onboarding.
• Plan residency for owners and key staff. A company licence supports investor and employee visas, which are needed to sign for bank accounts and to lease premises.
• Track the sector mix. Trade and services (45%), real estate and business services (27.3%) and construction (19%) are the crowded segments; technology and fintech are where Dubai Chambers is directing new support.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital sets up and supports companies in Dubai for founders from India, the CIS and Europe who want to use the emirate as a trading base. We select the licence and jurisdiction for the activity, prepare the incorporation file, and handle the interaction with the free zone or the Department of Economy and Tourism. See company setup in the UAE for the process and timelines.

Once the licence is issued, we accompany the owner through bank onboarding, which is the step where trading companies most often stall. Our bank account opening service covers the compliance file, the business description and the meeting with the bank, so that the account is open before the first shipment. We also arrange investor and employee residency, Chamber of Commerce registration and certificates of origin for CEPA-qualifying goods.

Conclusion

The Dubai Chambers data released on 2026-08-24 describe a trade relationship that has more than doubled in ten years, to AED 222.5 billion, with a third of that growth arriving in the three and a half years since CEPA. Investment runs both ways at roughly AED 32 billion to AED 34 billion per decade, and 85,841 active Indian companies form the largest foreign business community in the emirate. For anyone setting up a trading or services business in Dubai, the India corridor is not a niche: it is the second-largest flow of goods through the city and the one with the most developed support ecosystem.

FAQ

How much is Dubai’s trade with India worth?

Dubai’s non-oil trade with India reached a record AED 222.5 billion in 2025, according to Dubai Chambers figures released on 2026-08-24. That is 15% more than in 2024 and 136.2% more than the AED 94.2 billion recorded in 2016. India is Dubai’s second-largest trading partner.

How many Indian companies are registered in Dubai?

At the end of June 2026 there were 85,841 Indian companies registered as active members of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, up 15% year on year. In the first half of 2026 alone, 7,579 new Indian companies joined the chamber. Trade and services make up 45% of these companies, real estate and business services 27.3%, and construction 19%.

What has the UAE-India CEPA done for Dubai’s trade?

The UAE-India Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement came into force in May 2022. Since then Dubai’s non-oil trade with India has increased 35%, according to Dubai Chambers. The agreement lowers tariffs on qualifying goods, sets rules of origin and improves market access for services and investment in both directions.

How much do India and Dubai invest in each other?

Between 2016 and 2025 Dubai attracted about AED 32.3 billion of investment from India, including AED 8.4 billion of foreign direct investment in 2025. Over the same decade Dubai-based companies invested AED 34.1 billion in 147 projects in India, contributing to the creation of 55,274 jobs.