The UAE has reaffirmed its confidence that bilateral trade with Indonesia can reach $10 billion, and the numbers suggest that ambition is well within reach.
Commerce between the two countries hit more than $6.4 billion in 2025, a jump of nearly 27 percent from the previous year, making the $10 billion target look less like a stretch goal and more like a natural trajectory.
A Partnership Built on Solid Foundations
The Indonesia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) eliminates tariffs on roughly 99 percent of traded goods and includes commitments to increase Indonesia’s services exports to the UAE by 6 percent, while mutually recognising each country’s halal certification. Since the CEPA came into force in September 2023, trade momentum has accelerated steadily.
The relationship goes beyond trade. The UAE views Indonesia as its major strategic partner in Southeast Asia, particularly in energy, infrastructure, and the development of future economies.
Key Export Sectors Driving Growth
Indonesia’s export push to the UAE is led by two powerhouse commodities. Palm oil and gold jewelry are the headline products, with the CEPA scrapping tariffs on both. Indonesia’s first-ever UAE-bound shipment under the trade accord comprised $6.98 million worth of gold jewelry. With duty-free access now firmly in place, Indonesian exporters are scaling up fast.
What Comes Next
Achieving the $10 billion target will require expanding investment, boosting tourism, and developing aviation infrastructure — including plans to increase flight frequency and introduce larger aircraft to major Indonesian cities.
With 50 years of diplomatic ties being marked in 2026, and two economies with complementary strengths, the UAE–Indonesia trade story is only getting started.
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