🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates imports of storage media: 2024 trade data
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates imported storage media worth $557.3 million (4.4 thousand tonnes). Its share of world imports was 1%. That is 26% less than in 2023. Across 2017-2024 the long-run trend was broadly stable. The peak in this period was 2018, at $846.2 million.
Public statistics, latest reported year 2024. Values in US dollars.
Imports of storage media by year, 2017-2024
Hover or tap a year for detail.
Year by year
| Year | Value | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $557.3M | 4.4K t |
| 2023 | $758.2M | 4.8K t |
| 2022 | $810.5M | 4.9K t |
| 2021 | $677.2M | 4.4K t |
| 2020 | $642.8M | 4.5K t |
| 2019 | $722.5M | 7.4K t |
| 2018 | $846.2M | 8.6K t |
| 2017 | $676.2M | 9.5K t |
Where the United Arab Emirates imports storage media from
The largest suppliers were China (18%), United Kingdom (12%), United States (11%). Trade is spread widely: the top three suppliers together make up only 41%. Among the main suppliers, United Kingdom grew fastest (+97% on the year before).
| Supplier country | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇳 China | $98.6M | 18% |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $69.7M | 13% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $59.2M | 11% |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $51.3M | 9.2% |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | $47.7M | 8.6% |
| Taiwan | $40.9M | 7.3% |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | $37.9M | 6.8% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $22.2M | 4% |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | $19.5M | 3.5% |
| 🇮🇳 India | $13.5M | 2.4% |
Types of storage media under HS 8523
| 8523.51 | Semiconductor media: solid-state non-volatile storage devices, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 50% |
| 8523.49 | Optical media: recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 29% |
| 8523.52 | Semiconductor media: smart cards, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 12% |
| 8523.80 | Media n.e.c. in heading 8523, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 2.9% |
| 8523.59 | Semiconductor media: other than smart cards, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 2.7% |
| 8523.29 | Magnetic media: other than cards incorporating a magnetic stripe, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 1.9% |
| 8523.41 | Optical media: unrecorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 1.8% |
| 8523.21 | Magnetic media: cards incorporating a magnetic stripe, whether or not recorded, excluding products of Chapter 37 | 0.2% |
Codes and full descriptions: HS heading 8523.
Average import price of storage media
The average declared value was about $125.39 per kg, 34% below the world average of $190.33, which often means bulk or lower-grade product.
Declared value divided by weight, all 2024 shipments. Prices per shipment and per company are in EximDataX.
The United Arab Emirates also exports storage media
In 2024, the United Arab Emirates exported storage media worth $221.6 million (2.2 thousand tonnes). Most of it went to Uzbekistan (42%), Hong Kong (15%), Ukraine (8%). Among the main buyer markets, Netherlands grew fastest (+162% on the year before).
| Destination | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇿 Uzbekistan | $94.1M | 43% |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | $32.8M | 15% |
| 🇺🇦 Ukraine | $16.8M | 7.6% |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $8.1M | 3.6% |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $6.9M | 3.1% |
| 🇨🇳 China | $6.7M | 3% |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | $5.1M | 2.3% |
| 🇰🇪 Kenya | $4.1M | 1.9% |
| 🇪🇬 Egypt | $4.0M | 1.8% |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $4.0M | 1.8% |
Who is behind these numbers in the United Arab Emirates?
Public statistics stop at country totals and the last published year. EximDataX shows the shipment records underneath: the companies, dates, quantities and declared values, updated weekly.
Shipment records are in the platform
Tell us what you trade and we will show you the latest records on a live call.
Mirror data: built from the shipment records of the countries that trade with it.
Updated weekly on EximDataX (some markets daily), while public statistics stop at 2024.
Source: CEPII BACI (reconciled UN Comtrade data), HS 2017 edition, release 202601, Etalab Open Licence 2.0. Annual values in US dollars at the customs border; quantities in tonnes where reported. HS 8523: Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of other phenomena, whether or not recorded, including matrices and masters for the production of discs, excluding products of Chapter 37.
Storage media trade in the United Arab Emirates: questions
What is the value of storage media imported by the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates imported storage media worth $557.3 million in 2024 (4.4 thousand tonnes).
Where does the United Arab Emirates import storage media from?
The main supplier countries in 2024 were China (18%), United Kingdom (12%), United States (11%).
What is the average import price of storage media in the United Arab Emirates?
The average declared import value was about $125.39 per kg in 2024, against a world average of $190.33 per kg.
Does the United Arab Emirates export storage media?
Yes. The United Arab Emirates exported storage media worth $221.6 million in 2024, mainly to Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Ukraine.
What is the HS code for storage media?
Storage media falls under HS heading 8523 (Discs, tapes, solid-state non-volatile storage devices, smart cards and other media for the recording of sound or of oth). The six-digit codes under it split the product by type.
How can I find the companies trading storage media with the United Arab Emirates?
These public statistics stop at country level. EximDataX builds the United Arab Emirates trade from the records of its trading partners, updated weekly, so you can see who ships this product there.
Storage media trade in other countries
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