UAE announces it is leaving OPEC and OPEC+ from 1 May

The United Arab Emirates announced on Tuesday it has quit OPEC and OPEC+. The decision will come into effect on May 1, a statement said.

“This decision follows a comprehensive review of the UAE’s production policy and its current and future capacity and is based on our national interest and our commitment to contributing effectively to meeting the market’s pressing needs,” UAE state news agency WAM reported.

Longstanding member 

The UAE was a longstanding member of OPEC, which was set up in 1960 to coordinate petroleum policies, stabilise oil markets, and secure efficient supply to consumers. Headquartered in Vienna, it works with the broader OPEC+ grouping that also includes Russia, to manage production levels and influence global prices.

As of May 1, following the UAE’s exit, OPEC members will comprise of Algeria, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Non-OPEC oil producers who are part of the broader OPEC+ group include Russia, Kazakhstan, Oman, Malaysia, Mexico and Sudan.

The UAE’s decision “reflects a policy-driven evolution in the UAE’s approach, enhancing flexibility to respond to market dynamics while continuing to contribute to stability in a measured and responsible manner,” WAM said.

"The UAE’s decision to exit from OPEC reflects a policy-driven evolution aligned with long-term market fundamentals. We thank OPEC and its member countries for decades of constructive cooperation. We remain committed to energy security, providing reliable, responsible, and lower-carbon supply while supporting stable global markets.”
- H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei,
UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure

Policy-driven evolution

Commenting on the decision, H.E. Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, said on X: “The UAE’s decision to exit from OPEC reflects a policy-driven evolution aligned with long-term market fundamentals. We thank OPEC and its member countries for decades of constructive cooperation. We remain committed to energy security, providing reliable, responsible, and lower-carbon supply while supporting stable global markets.”

While near-term volatility, including disruptions in the Arabian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, continues to affect supply dynamics, underlying trends point to sustained growth in global energy demand over the medium to long term, the WAM statement said.

“A stable global energy system depends on flexible, reliable, and affordable supply. The UAE has invested to meet evolving demand efficiently and responsibly, prioritising stability, affordability, and sustainability,” WAM reported.

"The UAE has taken a sovereign decision in line with its long-term energy strategy, its true production capability and its national interest, as well as global energy market stability. At ADNOC, our focus is unchanged: meeting the growing energy needs of our customers and partners around the world with reliability, responsibility, and the ambition to deliver more across oil, gas, chemicals, and low carbon and renewable energy. Our commitment to our partners remains unwavering."
- H.E. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC

Commenting on the development, H.E. Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, said the UAE “has taken a sovereign decision in line with its long-term energy strategy, its true production capability and its national interest, as well as global energy market stability”.

“At ADNOC, our focus is unchanged: meeting the growing energy needs of our customers and partners around the world with reliability, responsibility, and the ambition to deliver more…across oil, gas, chemicals, and low carbon and renewable energy. Our commitment to our partners remains unwavering. For us, trust, partnership and credibility are not talking points … they are a track record,” H.E. Dr Al Jaber wrote on X.

Bringing additional production to market

The UAE – the world’s seventh largest oil producer – also reassured the international community that following its exit from OPEC, it would “continue to act responsibly, bringing additional production to market in a gradual and measured manner, aligned with demand and market conditions”.

With a large and competitive resource base, the UAE will continue working with partners to develop resources, supporting economic growth and diversification, the statement said.

“This decision does not alter the UAE’s commitment to global market stability or its approach based on cooperation with producers and consumers. Rather, it enhances the UAE’s ability to respond to evolving market needs,” WAM reported.

Ahead of ADIPEC last year, H.E. Al Mazrouei had highlighted how the UAE is turning its energy vision into reality by combining investment, AI-driven innovation, and resilient infrastructure to deliver secure, sustainable, and inclusive growth at global scale.

Decades of cooperation

The UAE also highlighted its decades of constructive cooperation with OPEC. “The UAE joined OPEC in 1967 through the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and continued its membership following the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. Throughout this period, the UAE has played an active role in supporting global oil market stability and strengthening dialogue among producing nations,” it said.

“We reaffirm our appreciation for the efforts of both OPEC and the OPEC+ alliance and wish them success. During our time in the organisation, we made significant contributions and even greater sacrifices for the benefit of all. However, the time has come to focus our efforts on what our national interest dictates and our commitment to our investors, customers, partners and global energy markets. This is what we will focus on going forward,” it said.

In March, OPEC+ approved a modest production increase of 206,000 bpd, although the UAE quota remained at 3.41 mbpd.

Global oil outlook

Earlier this month, in its first public assessment of the impact of the Middle East conflict, OPEC lowered its forecast  for world oil demand in the second quarter by 500,000 barrels per day — an average 105.07 mbpd, down from the 105.57 mbpd forecast in the previous month’s report. But it made no change to its full-year outlook.

Global oil demand is forecast to grow by 1.4 mbpd year on year, driven almost entirely by demand from non-OECD regions, mainly China, India and other Asian countries, OPEC said.

In an interview at the OPEC Secretariat in Vienna last year, H.E. Haitham Al Ghais, OPEC Secretary General, had highlighted the critical need for $18.2 trillion investments in oil and gas by 2050, with the sector remaining an essential pillar of a stable and secure energy future.