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Dubai’s diamond trade sparkles to record $41.7 billion in 2025
Emirate posts all-time high in both value and volume for the first time, as natural diamonds and coloured gemstones drive growth last year, according to DMCC
- PUBLISHED: Mon 13 Jul 2026, 4:35 PM
Dubai’s total diamond trade reached an all-time high of $41.7 billion (Dh153 billion) in 2025, according to data from Dubai Customs released by DMCC on Monday, surpassing the previous record of $40.9 billion set in 2011.
The emirate also traded a record 359.5 million carats during the year, up 42.5 per cent year-on-year, marking the first time Dubai has posted a record in both diamond trade value and physical volume in the same year.
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Total diamond trade value across all categories rose 16.2 per cent year-on-year, from $35.8 billion in 2024, adding $5.8 billion in a single year. Trade in coloured gemstones also reached an all-time high of $1.1 billion, up 48 per cent year-on-year.
Since 2020, total diamond trade through Dubai has increased 139 per cent in value and 100 per cent in volume, reflecting the emirate's growing role as a gateway connecting producing countries, manufacturing centres and consumer markets across the global diamond industry.
‘Partner of choice’
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and CEO of DMCC, said the figures reflect the success of a long-term strategy.
“Dubai's latest diamond trade figures demonstrate the success of a long-term strategy to build the world's most connected, transparent, and efficient precious stones ecosystem,” he said.
“Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we have seen trade through Dubai double in physical volume and grow by almost 140 per cent in value. For natural polished diamonds alone, value has grown by 246 per cent,” he added.
“Through world-class infrastructure, regulatory certainty, access to finance, and one of the world’s most sophisticated ecosystems for precious stones, we will continue to provide the platform the industry needs to grow,” Bin Sulayem added.
Natural diamonds lead
The record was driven primarily by continued strength in natural diamonds, which generated $39.9 billion in trade during 2025 and accounted for 95.8 per cent of total diamond trade value.
Rough diamonds delivered particularly strong momentum, with Dubai trading 205.2 million carats of natural rough diamonds during the year – the second-highest volume on record and an increase of about 34 per cent compared to 2024.
In the natural polished category, trade value reached $18.7 billion in 2025, a rise of nearly 25 per cent year-on-year. Since 2020, total natural polished trade through Dubai has increased 246 per cent in value, with the average value per carat rising roughly eight to ninefold.
The data also highlights the continued diversification of Dubai’s wider diamond and precious stones ecosystem. Coloured gemstone imports rose 68.8 per cent, while re-exports increased 33.5 per cent, pointing to growth across both sourcing and distribution.
Meanwhile, synthetic and industrial diamonds together now account for approximately 39 per cent of total diamond carat volume traded through the emirate.
