Furniture: how much is the Middle East worth?

The tensions and conflict that are reshaping the geopolitical balance of the Middle East are already producing effects far beyond the military sphere. From energy to trade routes, international markets are closely watching how the situation evolves, while the first signals – from rising raw material prices to uncertainty over investments – are beginning to be felt across several industrial sectors.

The highest cost of this crisis remains – needless to say – the human one, with thousands of victims and a region becoming increasingly unstable. But alongside the tragedy of the conflict, there is also an economic dimension affecting numerous production chains, including the furniture industry. In a recent article by Xylon we discussed Italian exports of woodworking technologies to the region, but how much is the “world of furniture” worth in the Middle East and in Iran?

Overall, the market is worth more than 14.5 billion dollars according to the report World Furniture Outlook 2025/2026 prepared by Csil. The total includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain and Lebanon. Syria and Yemen are excluded, as reliable statistics are not available due to economic instability and the lack of official data, also as a consequence of the conflicts that have marked recent years. Using the latest information available on international trade in the sector, it is nevertheless possible to estimate that the furniture markets of Syria and Yemen together amount to about 180 million dollars, bringing the potential value of the entire Middle Eastern area to about 14.7 billion dollars.

A significant overall value, but with wide differences in “specific weight” within the region, where furniture demand is strongly concentrated in a few key markets: Israel, Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates alone account for about three quarters of the entire regional market, with total furniture consumption exceeding 10 billion dollars. The other countries in the area – including Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Bahrain and Lebanon – cover much smaller shares of the market.

IRAN

Iran represents one of the main markets for furniture in the Middle East. According to data from the Csil report, furniture consumption in the country reached about 2.5 billion dollars in 2023 (more recent data are not available, ed.), with domestic production slightly above 2.5 billion. The Iranian market is characterized by a strong presence of the local industry, and imports are therefore relatively limited (about 26 million dollars in 2023), while exports remain modest at around 65 million (the main destination for Iranian furniture exports is Iraq), a sign of a sector mainly oriented toward domestic demand.

In terms of regional weight, Iran accounts for about 17 percent of the entire Middle Eastern furniture market, making it – as mentioned – one of the four main demand hubs together with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

A key factor explaining Iran’s weight in the Middle Eastern furniture market is first and foremost its demographic size. With more than 90 million inhabitants, the country represents one of the largest demand bases in the region. Added to this is a relatively developed local production chain which, as mentioned, allows domestic industry to cover most of the internal demand for furniture and highlights a difference compared with many Gulf countries, where the market depends largely on imports.

A dynamic market characterized by a lively real estate sector and ongoing urbanization, both of which continue to generate demand for residential furniture. Despite economic difficulties and international sanctions limiting trade and foreign investment, the country therefore maintains a large and relatively autonomous domestic market, with furniture import levels much lower than in other Middle Eastern markets.

ISRAEL

Israel represents the largest furniture market in the Middle East. According to the World Furniture Outlook 2025/2026 report by Csil, furniture consumption in the country reached about 3 billion dollars in 2024, compared with domestic production of around 2.25 billion dollars. The market is supported both by the presence of a consolidated local industry and by significant imports, which exceeded 940 million dollars in the same year.

Within the regional context, Israel accounts for about one fifth of the entire Middle Eastern furniture market. The sector benefits from a high level of per capita income (over 54 thousand dollars per year), among the highest in the region, and from strong household spending, factors that support demand for furniture both in the residential and contract segments.

From a commercial point of view, Israel mainly imports from China, Italy and Turkey, while furniture exports are primarily directed toward the United States and Europe. This reflects the strong integration of the Israeli economy with Western markets, which also influences the structure of the furniture sector.

In the short term, CSIL forecasts (before the new conflict involving Iran, ed.) nevertheless indicated a phase of stabilization in demand, with expected growth of 0 percent in 2025 and 2026, a sign of a market that is already mature and sensitive to economic slowdown and geopolitical tensions in the region.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AND BAHRAIN

Among the countries involved in the broader framework of regional tensions are also the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, two Gulf economies with very different-sized furniture markets but both strongly integrated into international trade flows. In the United Arab Emirates, furniture consumption exceeds 2.4 billion dollars, making the country one of the main regional hubs for furnishings thanks to strong domestic demand and its role as a logistics platform for trade toward other Middle Eastern markets.

Bahrain, with a market of about 220 million dollars, represents a smaller but dynamic reality characterized by a strong dependence on imports and by very close trade relations with other Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. In both cases, demand for furniture is supported by real estate development and the expansion of services, elements that in recent years have helped strengthen the economic weight of the sector in the region.