That dollar amount reflects a 19.5% expansion from 2018 when shipments for the Middle East aggregation totaled $1.297 trillion.
From 2021 to 2022, the value of products exported from Middle Eastern countries increased by 9.6% propelled partly by higher petroleum prices.
In comparison, exports from all countries worldwide were worth $24.487 trillion in 2022, rising 26.7% in value since 2018 and growing by 10.6% from 2021 to 2022.
To further put those metrics into context, consider that Mideast exports represent an estimated 6.3% by value of total global exports during 2022. That percentage falls below 6.7% for 2018 and 6.4% in 2021. Over time, those slides reflect the smaller proportionate value of exports shipped from the Middle East.
Based on statistics from the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook Database, the total Gross Domestic Product for Middle Eastern countries amounted to an estimated $11.848 trillion in 2022 on a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis.
Therefore, exported products accounted for roughly 13.2% of the Middle East’s total economic output for 2022 in terms of GDP per PPP. That percentage is higher than the 12.2% score one year earlier in 2021.
Given the Middle East’s calculated population of about 454 million people in 2022, the total $1.55 trillion in 2022 Middle Eastern exports translates to approximately $3,400 per person living in the Mideast. That dollar metric exceeds the average $2,700 per capita calculated for 2021.
Please note that Türkiye and Egypt have been included with other Middle East countries for the purpose of this analysis. This is because, in accordance with our World Trade Organization statistical sources, Turkey is grouped with Asian nations although Egypt is listed under Africa.
Top Middle Eastern Export Countries
Below are Middle Eastern export countries presented in the order of highest dollar value for 2022 global shipments. Also shown is each country’s overall share of Middle Eastern exports.
| Rank | Exporter | Exports (US$) | Mideast% | 2021-2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Saudi Arabia | $378,261,732,000 | 24.4% | +41.4% |
| 2. | United Arab Emirates | $311,313,710,000 | 20.1% | -26.8% |
| 3. | Türkiye | $254,171,899,000 | 16.4% | +12.8% |
| 4. | Qatar | $130,964,473,000 | 8.4% | +50.2% |
| 5. | Iraq | $129,864,681,000 | 8.4% | +48.5% |
| 6. | Kuwait | $90,476,501,000 | 5.8% | +43.3% |
| 7. | Oman | $80,325,311,000 | 5.2% | +80.1% |
| 8. | Israel | $73,583,359,000 | 4.7% | +22.3% |
| 9. | Egypt | $48,148,651,000 | 3.1% | +18.3% |
| 10. | Bahrain | $22,252,183,000 | 1.4% | +15.1% |
| 11. | Iran | $15,597,220,000 | 1.0% | -79.2% |
| 12. | Jordan | $8,789,820,000 | 0.6% | -6.1% |
| 13. | Lebanon | $3,862,245,000 | 0.2% | -8.7% |
| 14. | Yemen | $1,711,417,000 | 0.1% | -22.1% |
| 15. | Syria | $612,067,000 | 0.04% | -44.2% |
| 16. | Palestine | $115,930,000 | 0.01% | -91.5% |
On a year-over-year basis, the fastest-growing Mideast exporters were Oman (up 80.1% from 2021), Qatar (up 50.2%), Iraq (up 48.5%), Kuwait (up 43.3%), then world-leading crude oil supplier Saudi Arabia (up 41.4%).
There was a handful of double-digit decliners in terms of export revenues year over year. These were Palestine (down -91.5% from 2021), Iran (down -79.2%), Syria (down -44.2%), United Arab Emirates (down -26.8%), then Yemen (down -22.1%).
See also Saudi Arabia’s Top 10 Exports, Egypt’s Top 10 Exports and Turkey’s Top 10 Exports
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports. Accessed on September 19, 2023
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Middle East: Syria, Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity). Accessed on September 19, 2023
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 19, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 19, 2023
Wikipedia, List of Middle East countries by population. Accessed on September 19, 2023
