Dubai’s request for a debt moratorium for its Dubai World conglomerate is worrying global markets, but the Gulf city state can count on Abu Dhabi, its deep-pocketed rich brother, to avoid default, analysts say.

‘‘Dubai as a state... is not on the verge of bankruptcy, thanks to the support of Abu Dhabi,’’ said Pascal Devaux, Middle East risk assessment economist at BNP Paribas.

Dubai is one of seven city states that make up the United Arab Emirates, along with Abu Dhabi. On Wednesday, it announced that it intends to request a ‘‘standstill’’ for at least six months on the maturing debt of Dubai World, its largest and most-indebted state-run holding.

That sent jitters through major world stock markets on fears of a potential default by Dubai, which has a total debt of around $US80 billion, mostly owed by state companies.

Standard and Poor’s estimated last month that Dubai state-related companies are due to repay some $US50 billion in debt over the next three years, which represent 70 per cent of the emirate’s gross domestic product.