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Federal budget

Federal budget 2025

The federal budget for the year 2025 totals AED 71.5 billion in revenues and AED 71.5 billion in estimated expenditures, maintaining a balanced approach between income and spending.

The 2025 budget is allocated across key sectors, including social development and pensions, government affairs, infrastructure and economic affairs, and financial investments, alongside other federal expenses.

The federal budget for 2025 is allocated as follows:

• AED 27.859 billion, representing 39 per cent of the total federal budget, has been dedicated to the social development and pensions sector. Of this amount,
  • AED 10.914 billion (15.3 per cent) is allocated to public and higher education programmes
  • AED 5.745 billion (8 per cent) is allocated to healthcare and community prevention services
  • AED 3.744 billion (5.2 per cent) is allocated to social affairs
  • AED 5.709 billion (8 per cent) is allocated to pensions, and
  • AED 1.746 billion (2.5 per cent) is allocated to public services.
• AED 25.570 billion (35.7 per cent of the total budget) is allocated to the government affairs sector
• AED 2.581 billion, (3.6 per cent of the total budget) is allocated to the infrastructure and economic affairs sector
• AED 2.864 billion (4 per cent of the total budget) is allocated to the financial investments sector
• AED 12.624 billion (17.7 per cent of the total budget) is allocated for other federal expenditures.

This federal budget represents the largest in the UAE's history, underscoring the robustness of the national economy and the sustainability of resources to support key developmental, economic, and social projects. The approval of the 2025 budget is part of the multi-year financial plan (2022-2026).

Source: WAM

Federal budget 2024

The federal budget for the year 2024 is AED 64.060 billion, 1.6 per cent more than the budget for the year 2023 (AED 63.066 billion).

The federal budget for 2024 is allocated as follows:

• AED 26.7 billion (42 per cent of the total general budget) towards social development and social benefits sector, distributed as follows:
  • AED 10.2 billion (16 per cent of the total general budget) to public and university education programs
  • AED 5.2 billion (8 per cent of the total general budget) to healthcare and community protection
  • AED 3.6 billion (6 per cent of the total general budget) to social affairs
  • AED 6.1 billion (10 per cent of the total general budget) to pensions
  • AED 1.5 billion (2 per cent of the total general budget) to public services.
• AED 25.2 billion (39 per cent of the total general budget) allocated towards government affairs sector
• AED 2.6 billion (4 per cent of the total general budget) allocated towards infrastructure and economic resources
• AED 2.3 billion (4 per cent of the total general budget) allocated towards the financial investments sector, including AED 807.5 million allocated to federal investment projects
• AED 7.2 billion (11 per cent of the total general budget) allocated for other federal expenses.

Related links

• Mohammed bin Rashid approves Federal General Budget 2024-2026 of AED192 billion – WAM
• Federal general budget – Ministry of Finance

Federal Budget 2023

The federal budget allocated for 2023 is AED 63.066 billion. The social development and social benefits sector received the largest share - AED 24.8 billion which is equivalent to 39.3 per cent of the total general budget. The budget for other sectors is as follows:

• AED 23.9 billion (38 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the government affairs sector
• AED 9.8 billion (15.5 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to public and university education programmes
• AED 9.8 billion (15.5 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to other federal expenses
• AED 5 billion (8 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the pensions
• AED 4.8 billion (7.6 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the healthcare and community protection
• AED 3.5 billion (5.6 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the social affairs
• AED 2.4 billion (3.8 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the infrastructure and economic resources
• AED 2.1 billion (3.4 per cent of the total general budget) is allocated to the financial investments sector, including AED 753 million allocated to the federal investment projects.

The UAE Government allocated AED 252.3 billion for the years 2023 to 2026. 

Federal budget 2022

AED 58.931 billion is the federal budget for 2022. The largest share of the 2022 budget has been allocated to the development and social benefits sector at 41.2 per cent, out of which the UAE will spend:

• 16.3 per cent on education
• 6 per cent on social development
• 8.4 per cent on health
• 8.2 per cent on pensions
• 2.6 per cent on other services.

Meanwhile, 3.8 per cent of the budget has been allocated to the infrastructure and financial resources sector.

The budget for 2022 was announced as part of the country’s general budget for the next five years from 2022-2026, with a total value of AED 290 billion, the largest spending budget in the UAE’s history.

Federal budget 2021

The UAE Cabinet approved the federal budget for the UAE for the fiscal year 2021. AED 58.3 billion have been allocated. The federal budget continues to focus on both social and economic development.

The budget aims to expand development plans and projects to raise the standard of living for Emiratis and residents. A large share of the 2021 budget will be allocated to social development including social welfare, health and education.  Read news coverage on WAM.

Federal Budget 2020

The UAE Cabinet approved a zero-deficit federal budget of AED 61.354 billion for the year 2020. This is the largest budget allocated since the establishment of the UAE. The budget is distributed amongst various sectors related to Emirati citizens and their services as follows:

• 34.4 per cent is allocated to social development
• 2.7 per cent is allocated to infrastructure and economic resources
• 7.4 per cent is allocated to social benefits
• 37.4 per cent is allocated to government affairs.

Social development and social benefits project allocations of the consolidated budget

Federal budget 2019

The 2019 budget was approved at a total value of AED 60.3 billion, allocated to various sectors with a focus on those directly linked to citizens’ well-being, health and education. The budget includes

• 42.3 per cent for community development
• 17 per cent for education development and
• 7.3 per cent for healthcare services.

Federal budget 2018

The federal budget allocated for 2018 was AED 51.4 billion, with increase of 5.6 per cent from that of 2017. The federal budget for fiscal year 2018 was allocated to the key sectors for the UAE, with the budget for Social Development and Social Benefits standing at AED 25.0 billion, equating to 49 per cent of the total budget. The UAE Government was allocated a total of AED 22.2 billion amounting to 41 per cent of the total budget.

Federal budget 2017

In late October 2016, the UAE Cabinet approved the federal budget draft submitted by Ministry of Finance for the fiscal year 2017, with a total spending of AED 48.7 billion as part of the five-year budget cycle 2017-2021.

Federal budget 2016

The UAE Cabinet approved the budget of the UAE for the fiscal year 2016 with a value of AED 48.557 billion with a zero deficit. The budget was in line with the initiatives and projects adopted in the Federal Government strategy and prepared in accordance with the principles of a zero-based budget.

Read more about the:

• Federal budgets from 2015 to 2024 - Ministry of Finance.
• Federal budget distribution and expenditure in different sectors - U.ae

Related links

• UAE Cabinet approves 2020 Federal Budget - WAM
• UAE Cabinet approves AED180 billion 'zero-deficit' federal budget – WAM