Diamond trade through Dubai reaches $41.7b: DMCC

DMCC, the leading international business district that drives the flow of global trade through Dubai, announced that Dubai’s total diamond trade reached an all-time high of $41.7 billion in 2025, according to data from Dubai Customs.

The figure surpasses the previous record of $40.9 billion, set in 2011, and was accompanied by a record 359.5 million carats traded, up 42.5% year-on-year - marking the first time Dubai has posted a record in both diamond trade value and physical volume in the same year.

Total diamond trade value across all categories rose 16.2% year-on-year, from $35.8 billion in 2024, adding US$5.8 billion in a single year. Records were broken in other categories, with trade in coloured gemstones reaching $1.1 billion in 2025, up 48% year-on-year.

The latest figures demonstrate the sustained momentum of Dubai’s diamond sector over the longer term. Since 2020, total diamond trade through Dubai has increased 139% in value and 100% in volume, reflecting the emirate’s growing role as the preferred gateway connecting producing countries, manufacturing centres and consumer markets across the global diamond industry.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, DMCC, said, “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. Since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we have seen trade through Dubai double in physical volume and grow by almost 140% in value. For natural polished diamonds alone, value has grown by 246%. We are the partner of choice for producers, manufacturers, traders, and retailers across the global industry. 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.” The record was driven primarily by continued strength in natural diamonds, which generated USD 39.9 billion in trade during 2025 and accounted for 95.8% of total diamond trade value. Rough diamonds delivered particularly strong momentum.

Dubai traded 205.2 million carats of natural rough diamonds during the year, representing the second-highest volume on record and an increase of approximately 34% compared to 2024. In the natural polished category, trade value reached US$18.7 billion in 2025, a rise of nearly 25% year-on-year. Since 2020, total natural polished trade through Dubai has increased 246% in value, with the average value per carat increasing approximately eight to ninefold.

Natural diamonds remain both the economic foundation of Dubai’s diamond marketplace and its future growth engine despite the expansion of gemstone trade and other diamond categories in recent years. The latest figures further reinforce a longer-term shift in the global diamond trade, with Dubai’s diamond trade increasing 63% by value and 44% by volume over the past decade.

However, the data also highlights the continued diversification of Dubai’s wider diamond and precious stones ecosystem. Coloured gemstones trade achieved an all-time high, with imports rising 68.8% and re-exports increasing 33.5%, demonstrating growth across both sourcing and distribution. Meanwhile, synthetic and industrial diamonds together now account for approximately 39% of total diamond carat volume.

DMCC operates the Dubai Diamond Exchange (DDE), the region’s largest diamond tender facility and home to one of the world’s leading diamond trading communities. Together with its integrated ecosystem spanning secure logistics, customs facilitation, financial services, grading, technology and specialised infrastructure, the DDE continues to strengthen Dubai’s position as the world’s leading hub for the global diamond trade.

Last year, DMCC unveiled the Strategy 2033 – a bold new vision that places its specialised industry ecosystems at the heart of its growth for the coming decade. From world-leading hubs in diamonds, gold, and energy, to future-focused platforms for AI, Web3, blockchain, and gaming, DMCC’s strategy is designed to accelerate the growth of key global sectors through value-add services including tailored licensing, infrastructure, and access to capital and industry expertise.

The strategy builds on a model that has firmly established DMCC as one of the world’s leading and fastest-growing free zones. With momentum accelerating across its entire ecosystem, DMCC is on track to exceed 26,000 member companies by year-end.

WAM