DUBAI- The current account surplus of the United Arab Emirates rose to 139 billion dirhams ($38 billion) or 9.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018, up from 101 billion dirhams or 7.2 percent of GDP, the UAE central bank said on Sunday.

It attributed the increase mainly to higher oil prices, which rose from an average of $54.25 a barrel in 2017 to an average of $71 in 2018.

($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)

(Reporting by Saeed Azhar, editing by Hadeel Al Sayegh) ((Saeed.Azhar@thomsonreuters.com; +971 44536787; Reuters Messaging: saeed.azhar.reuters.com@reuters.net))