Sharjah Ruler Approves AED 42.007 Billion General Budget for 2025

Photo : Sharjah Govt Media Bureau

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has officially approved the emirate’s general budget for 2025, which amounts to AED 42.007 billion. This is the largest budget in Sharjah’s history and is designed to ensure financial sustainability, improve the quality of life for residents, and support social welfare. The budget also focuses on strengthening social security, improving safety, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of key resources like energy, water, and food.

One of the main goals of this budget is to enhance the ability of government agencies to fund their strategic initiatives and projects. It also aims to ensure appropriate housing for different groups of citizens and enhance the emirate's tourism infrastructure. The government seeks to strengthen cultural, recreational, and social tourism to boost the sector's contribution to economic growth and sustainability.

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The 2025 budget is built on several key strategic and financial pillars. It focuses on creating a pioneering environment in the social, cultural, health, tourism, and infrastructure sectors, aiming to elevate these areas to the standards of advanced countries. This will ensure that the people of Sharjah benefit from the prosperity the emirate is working to achieve.

The budget also considers global and regional challenges that impact economies worldwide, such as inflation, rising interest rates, economic downturns, and geopolitical tensions. In response to these challenges, Sharjah's government is committed to using its financial, economic, and strategic resources to lessen their negative impact. This will help protect the interests of citizens, residents, businesses, and institutions in the emirate.

The government’s overall budget focuses on a variety of strategic goals across different sectors, including economic, social, scientific, cultural, civilizational, tourism, and structural development. The central focus of these efforts is the citizen, with the aim of ensuring a decent standard of living for both citizens and residents. The budget aims to implement many projects and initiatives across various sectors, ensuring economic and social stability, as well as safety and security.

The budget also aims to increase investments in infrastructure and support economic, social, cultural, and tourism initiatives that will improve Sharjah’s competitiveness. This will ensure that Sharjah remains financially stable while providing social support to meet the diverse needs of citizens. The government is also focused on creating more job opportunities in both the public and private sectors. It emphasizes developing citizens’ skills and capabilities, helping them become entrepreneurs and succeed in the job market.

Furthermore, the budget aims to boost the economy by encouraging development and financial sustainability. It highlights the importance of national human resources, which play a vital role in driving construction and sustainable development. The 2025 budget follows the government’s financial plan for 2023-2030, focusing on optimizing spending to improve competitiveness and financial sustainability. This budget shows a 2% increase compared to the previous year, reflecting the government’s dedication to improving its programs, activities, and strategic plans.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Saud Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Finance Department, emphasized that the 2025 budget reflects the vision and guidance of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah. It represents the ongoing effort to achieve financial sustainability and manage government resources efficiently. The budget aims to improve Sharjah’s competitiveness across various sectors while supporting government agencies to meet international service standards. It also emphasizes building strong partnerships with the private sector, ensuring its continuous growth and contribution to Sharjah’s economy.

To enhance financial sustainability, the government is exploring internal and external funding opportunities and adopting innovative financing methods. This will support the government’s strategy to improve its financial services, including modernizing electronic payments and collections. The aim is to improve government operations and minimize bureaucratic delays, creating a more efficient financial system in the emirate.

The 2025 general budget has two main dimensions: economic and social development, focused on improving the quality of life for residents, and strategic development, aimed at enhancing the financial sustainability of the government. The budget also includes initiatives to stimulate economic growth by lowering service fees and offering discounts to investors and customers. The government aims to foster an environment that attracts both local and international investors, boosts tourism, and supports various sectors, including culture, heritage, science, and recreation.

Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that the budget outlines a clear direction for Sharjah’s development. It focuses on improving infrastructure, environmental preservation, public health, and tourism. These efforts aim to enhance Sharjah’s position as a leading destination for tourism, culture, and science, while also attracting investments. The budget also prioritizes creating more job opportunities, strengthening human resources, and providing financial support to government agencies.

The 2025 budget also shows a 2% increase in expenditures compared to the 2024 budget. Salaries and wages will make up 27% of the total budget, while operating expenses will account for 23%. Capital projects remain a priority, with 20% of the budget allocated to them. Loan repayments and interest have risen by 2%, making up 16% of the overall budget. Support and aid represent about 12% of the total, while capital expenditures make up approximately 2%.

The breakdown of the budget by sector highlights the government’s priorities. The infrastructure sector receives the largest share, accounting for 41% of the total budget. This represents a 7% increase from the previous year, showing a strong commitment to developing the emirate’s infrastructure. The economic development sector ranks second, making up 27% of the budget, followed by the social development sector, which accounts for 22%. The government administration, security, and safety sector will receive 10% of the budget, an increase of 8% from 2024.

The government has also focused on increasing public revenues through improved collection methods and the use of advanced technologies. The 2025 budget anticipates an 8% increase in public revenues compared to 2024. Operating revenues will make up 74% of the total, while capital revenues will account for 10%. Tax revenues are projected to contribute 10%, while customs revenues will make up 4%, and oil and gas revenues will represent 2% of the overall revenue.

This budget reflects Sharjah’s long-term vision for development, focusing on both immediate and future needs to ensure the continued prosperity of the emirate. The government’s strategic planning will continue to prioritize investments in infrastructure, job creation, and the overall welfare of its residents, ensuring that Sharjah remains a competitive, thriving hub for culture, tourism, and innovation.