{
  "id": 13095223,
  "title": "UAE economy grew in first half of 2026 despite impact of Iran war",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/uae-economy-grew-in-first-half-of-2026-despite-impact-of-iran-war-13095223",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-09T10:39:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/economy/2026/10/09/uae-economy-grew-in-first-half-of-2026-despite-impact-of-iran-war/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The UAE's economy expanded by 0.4% annually during the first half of 2026, reaching Dh961.9 billion ($262 billion), according to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre. This growth was primarily fueled by the non-oil sector, which increased its contribution to the GDP by 1.8% to 79.2%. The FCSC attributed these results to the UAE's ongoing economic diversification and the growing influence of non-oil activities. The center noted that these expanding contributions signify a diverse range of growth drivers, supporting sustainable and balanced economic development across multiple sectors. In the second quarter alone, the real GDP fell by 2.1% annually to Dh476.9 billion. However, even this decline was largely due to the non-oil sectors, which contracted by 1.1%, primarily because of regional developments and travel disruptions, particularly in tourism, transport, and trade.",
  "summary": "The UAE's real gross domestic product grew 0.4 per cent annually to Dh961.9 billion ($262 billion) in the first half of 2026, driven by non-oil business activity, despite the impact of the Iran war. The non-oil sector's contribution to the GDP during the six-month period increased by 1.8 per cent to 79.2 per cent, the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre said in a statement on Friday.…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Gulf News",
        "title": "US draws up options for new Iran strikes despite Trump poll pledge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/us-draws-up-options-for-new-iran-strikes-despite-trump-poll-pledge",
        "published": "2026-10-09T08:49:54.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Times",
        "title": "US weighs fresh strikes on Iran before midterms",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/us-weighs-fresh-strikes-on-iran-before-midterms",
        "published": "2026-10-09T10:21:32.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "UAE economy grew in first half of 2026 despite impact of Iran war",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/uae-economy-grew-in-first-half-of-2026-despite-impact-of-iran-war",
        "published": "2026-10-09T10:39:13.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}