That dollar amount reflects an 11.5% expansion from 5 years earlier in 2019 when shipments for the Middle East aggregation totaled $1.193 trillion.
From 2022 to 2023, the total value of products exported from Middle Eastern countries shrank by -28.5% partly due to lower petroleum prices.
In comparison, exports from all countries worldwide were worth $23.291 trillion in 2023, growing by 24.1% in value since 2019 but falling by a moderate -5.8% from 2022 to 2023.
To further put those metrics into context, consider that Mideast exports represent an estimated 5.7% by value of total global exports during 2023. That percentage falls below 6.4% for 2019 and 7.5% in 2022. Over time, those slides reflect the smaller proportionate value of exports shipped from the Middle East compared to the global totals.
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 $12.616 trillion in 2023 on a Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) basis.
Therefore, exported products accounted for roughly 10.6% of the Middle East’s total economic output for 2023 in terms of GDP per PPP. That percentage is higher than the 13.2% score one year earlier in 2022.
Given the Middle East’s calculated population of about 468.9 million people in 2023, the total $1.33 trillion in 2023 Middle Eastern exports translates to approximately $2,850 per person living in the Mideast. That dollar metric lags the average $3,400 per capita calculated for 2022.
Please note that Türkiye and Egypt have been included with other Middle East countries for the purpose of this analysis. This is because, in accordance with our World Trade Organization statistical sources, Turkey is grouped with Asian nations although Egypt is listed under Africa.
Top Middle Eastern Export Countries
Below are Middle Eastern export countries presented in the order of highest dollar value for 2023 global shipments. Also shown is each country’s overall share of Middle Eastern exports.
| Rank | Exporter | Exports (US$) | Mideast% | 2022-3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Saudi Arabia | $304,500,004,000 | 22.9% | -25.9% |
| 2. | United Arab Emirates | $279,917,395,000 | 21.0% | -45.7% |
| 3. | Türkiye | $255,412,194,000 | 19.2% | +0.5% |
| 4. | Iraq | $108,412,801,000 | 8.2% | -19.2% |
| 5. | Qatar | $100,092,921,000 | 7.5% | -23.6% |
| 6. | Kuwait | $74,171,063,000 | 5.6% | -25.7% |
| 7. | Oman | $65,075,762,000 | 4.9% | -1.5% |
| 8. | Israel | $59,915,951,000 | 4.5% | -17.4% |
| 9. | Egypt | $42,051,584,000 | 3.2% | -19.3% |
| 10. | Jordan | $12,589,565,000 | 0.9% | -1.5% |
| 11. | Bahrain | $12,406,928,000 | 0.9% | -44.2% |
| 12. | Iran | $11,913,922,000 | 0.9% | -85.3% |
| 13. | Lebanon | $2,119,616,000 | 0.2% | -39.3% |
| 14. | Syria | $819,068,000 | 0.1% | -24.1% |
| 15. | Yemen | $528,672,000 | 0.04% | -75.4% |
| 16. | Palestine | $161,572,000 | 0.01% | -89.4% |
On a year-over-year basis, the lone gainer among Mideast exporters was Türkiye via a modest 0.5% upturn from 2022.
The severest decliners in terms of lower export revenues were: Palestine (down -89.4% from 2022), Iran (down -85.3%), Yemen (down -75.4%), United Arab Emirates (down -45.7%), Bahrain (down -44.2%) then Lebanon (down -33.3%).
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 October 29, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Middle East: Syria, Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity). Accessed on October 29, 2024
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Databases (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 29, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 29, 2024
Wikipedia, List of Middle East countries by population. Accessed on October 29, 2024