Did you know SME businesses account for 42% of the workforce, and contribute around 40% to the total value-add generated in Dubai’s economy? It’s a startling fact, but true, nevertheless. Micro firms account for 72% of the overall business count in Dubai, followed by Small and Medium Firms (SMBs) accounting for 18% and 5% of the business count.
Check out our infographic, “Dubai Small and Medium Enterprises – Statistics and Trends” for more such interesting details. You’ll come to know how many SMEs are there in Dubai’s sectors, how they are categorized and much more.
Sector-wise SMEs By Number Of Establishments
| Sector | %age |
| Trading | 57% |
| Services | 35% |
| Manufacturing | 8% |
License Issued Statistics By Sector
| Manufacturing | %age | Services | %age | Trading | %age |
| Food & Beverages | 24% | Real Estate, Renting | 33% | Consumer Goods Trading | 25% |
| Basic Metals and Fabricated Metal products | 21% | Construction & Contracting industry | 31% | Textiles and Garments Trading | 16% |
| Others | 55% | Others | 36% | Other | 59% |
SMEs contribute around 40% to the total value-add, in the following order:
- Micro 8%
- Small 14%
- Medium firms 17%
SMEs Value-add Generated By Category
| Category | Value-add Generated |
| Trading | 47% |
| Services | 41% |
| Manufacturing | 13% |
SME Workforce Employed By Each Industry Category
| Category | %age of total workforce employed |
| Trading | 33% |
| Services | 51% |
| Manufacturing | 16% |
68% of trading SMEs indicated that they have revenues from international markets and customers. This compares to 53% and 37% among Manufacturing and Services SMEs, respectively
Approximately ¾ of the SME exporters in Dubai are currently exporting to other countries without having a physical presence in these markets.
Another 18% of businesses have either set up offices or have entered into strategic alliances in other countries
An estimated 50% of the SMEs across Dubai indicated having a website and around 6% of the total respondents indicated that they have online ordering capabilities or e-commerce features built into their websites.
70% of the SMEs expect medium to high growth in demand for their goods and services over the medium-term.
