Afghanistan vs United Arab Emirates: GDP growth

GDP growth: 1.9% a year in Afghanistan in 2024 and 6.2% a year in United Arab Emirates in 2025, by IMF estimates. In 2024 the value was higher in United Arab Emirates, by 4.7 percentage points, or 3.5 times that in Afghanistan.

Watch it change on the map

% a year · IMF

AfghanistanUnited Arab EmiratesIMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026)

What the numbers say

United Arab Emirates has been higher since 2021, when it overtook Afghanistan.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts Afghanistan at 1.5% a year in 2025.
The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts United Arab Emirates at 3.5% a year in 2031.

Every year

% a year · IMF

Year	Afghanistan	United Arab Emirates
2025	1.5	6.2
2024	1.9	6.6
2023	2.3	4.3
2022	-6.2	7.5
2021	-14.5	4.6
2020	-2.4	-8.7
2019	3.9	1.3
2018	1.2	1.5
2017	2.6	-1.1
2016	2.2	5.7
2015	1	7.1
2014	2.7	4.6
2013	5.7	4.9
2012	14	4.7
2011	6.5	6.7
2010	8.4	7.9
2009	20.6	-5.2
2008	3.9	3.2
2007	13.3	3.2
2006	5.4	9.8
2005	11.8	4.9
2004	0.7	9.6
2003	8.7	8.8
2002	–	2.4
2001	–	1.4
2000	–	12.3
1999	–	3.8
1998	–	0.9
1997	–	8.6
1996	–	5.4
1995	–	6.6
1994	–	7.4
1993	–	0.3
1992	–	3.1
1991	–	2.2
1990	–	23.6
1989	–	15.7
1988	–	-2.6
1987	–	5.3
1986	–	-19.3
1985	–	-2.5
1984	–	4.5
1983	–	-5.3
1982	–	-7.2
1981	–	8
1980	–	-1.8

12.3Projected

IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031

Year	Afghanistan	United Arab Emirates
2026	–	-3.9
2027	–	7.7
2028	–	7
2029	–	5.9
2030	–	3.7
2031	–	3.5

Each country on its own

Good to know

How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time