Economic Relations
The Estonian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Enterprise Estonia are organising numerous business meetings and visits to strengthen ties between UAE and Estonian companies.
The focus has been on promoting the interests of the IT, defence, food, education, energy and health sectors. Sectors where Estonia has a strong supply and the UAE a big demand. Estonia has participated with a joint stand at the defence exhibition IDEX in Abu Dhabi, the tech & startup show GITEX and the food and beverage exhibition Gulfood in Dubai.
The UAE-Estonia Business Council was established in September 2021 and has become an important channel for promoting business contacts. The inauguration of the Business Council took place during the visit of the President of the Republic on 21 March 2022, and the Business Council visited Estonia in May 2023.
Trade
The United Arab Emirates ranked as the 37th trading partner for Estonia in 2023 with trade amounting to 97 million euros.
Export amounted to 55.7 million euros and the primary export items were machinery and equipment. The main export items in 2023 were machinery and mechanical appliances (60%) and transport equipment (12.1%). A total of 295 Estonian companies exported to the UAE last year. Import amounted to 41.3 million euros and the primary imports in 2023 were machinery and mechanical appliances (73.5%) and chemical products (15.7%).
Trade between Estonia and United Arab Emirates (in millions of EUR)
| Year | Export | Import |
| 2020 | 37,1 | 21,8 |
| 2021 | 61,9 | 66,1 |
| 2022 | 109,1 | 30,7 |
| 2023 | 55,7 | 41,3 |
| 2024 7 mo. | 39,3 |
16,6 |
Investments
Direct investments from the United Arab Emirates to Estonia amounted to 222 million euros (as of 30 June 2024). Investments have been mainly made in the finance and insurance sector. Direct investments from Estonia to the United Arab Emirates amounted to 37 million euros (as of 30 June 2022).
As of September 2024, there are 20 e-residents who are UAE nationals.
Tourism
Estonian tourists are active visitors to the UAE, with around 10,000 Estonian residents visiting the emirates every year. However, there is room for development in the opposite direction, which will hopefully change with the launch of the Tallinn – Dubai direct flight.