The United Arab Emirates current account surplus fell 65 percent to Dh28.82 billion ($7.85 billion) in 2009 from the previous year, mainly due to lower oil prices.

The surplus was Dh81.82 in 2008, central bank data showed.   

The last year's surplus accounted for around 3.2 percent of the oil exporter's gross domestic product, according to Reuters' calculations, slightly above analysts' forecasts of 2.8 percent.

Analysts polled by Reuters expected the UAE current account surplus to widen to 6.3 percent of GDP this year. - Reuters