Demographics of the United Arab Emirates

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Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Infobox place demographics Demographic features of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) include population density, vital statistics, immigration and emigration data, ethnicity, education levels, religions practiced, and languages spoken within the UAE.

The majority of the population comes from South Asia, and is predominantly Muslim.[1]

Population

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The United Arab Emirates experienced a significant population increase in recent years as a result of major economic growth. This led to an influx of workers from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, increasing the population from 4 million in 2004 to roughly 11.35 million in 2024.[2][3] As of 2024, foreigners represent 88.50% of the population,[3][4] the third largest proportion of expats in the world in relation to the nationals after Qatar and the Vatican. As of 2024, the largest group of non-UAE nationals are South Asian 68.36% (Indians 37.96%,Pakistanis 16.72%, Bangladeshis 7.38% and others 6.3%), Filipinos 6.1%, Iranians 4.72%, Egyptians 4.23% and other 2.16%.[5][3]

Female citizens and non-citizens account for 36.20% percent of the UAE's population due to the high level of male foreign workers.[6] The majority of the UAE population is between 25 and 54 years old 64.12%.[3] A large part of this can be attributed to the expatriate worker population who fall in the age category.[7] Population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula. The three largest Emirates (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah), are home to nearly 83% of the population.[8][3]

As of 2024 the population of the UAE stood at 11.35 million,[3] with 63.80% being male and 36.20% female.[9][10][11] The country's total fertility rate (TFR) was 1.46, while that of the Emirati citizen population was 3.1, significantly higher than the national average, though reflecting a 16% decline from 3.7 in 2015.[12] In 2024 the population density of the Emirates has reached a record 114 per km2.[13]

Emirate Census 1975 Census 1985 Census 1995 Census 2005 Est. 2025
Abu Dhabi 211,812 566,036 942,463 1,399,484 3,789,860
Dubai 183,187 370,788 689,420 1,321,453 3,943,683
Sharjah 78,790 228,317 402,792 793,573 1,808,000
Ajman 16,690 54,546 121,491 206,997 504,846
Umm Al-Quwain 6,908 19,285 35,361 49,159 49,159
Ras Al-Khaimah 43,845 96,578 143,334 210,063 400,000
Fujairah 16,655 43,753 76,180 125,698 316,790
Total 557,887 1,379,303 2,411,041 4,106,427 11,350,000.[3][

Age structure

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UAE Census (05/12/2005)
Age group Male Female Total %
Total 2 806 141 1 300 286 4 106 427 100
0-4 145 601 136 538 282 139 6.87
5-9 139 929 129 453 269 382 6.56
10-14 130 778 118 279 249 057 6.07
15-19 121 388 110 838 232 226 5.66
20-24 272 036 161 530 433 566 10.56
25-29 483 657 178 137 661 794 16.12
30-34 489 879 150 482 640 361 15.59
35-39 386 762 113 844 500 606 12.19
40-44 262 718 78 543 341 261 8.31
45-49 174 459 51 311 225 770 5.50
50-54 107 339 31 539 138 878 3.38
55-59 51 303 15 804 67 107 1.63
60-64 18 820 8 527 27 347 0.67
65-69 9 172 5 285 14 457 0.35
70-74 5 391 4 013 9 404 0.23
75-79 2 440 1 837 4 277 0.10
80-84 1 537 1 439 2 976 0.07
85+ 1 250 1 165 2 415 0.06
unknown 1 682 1 722 3 404 0.08
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0-14 416 308 384 270 800 578 19.50
15-64 2 366 679 898 833 3 265 512 79.52
65+ 21 472 15 461 36 933 0.90
[14]

Vital statistics

UN estimates

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR CDR NC TFR IMR
1950–1955 4,000 2,000 2,000 49.4 20.8 28.6 6.97 175
1955–1960 4,000 2,000 3,000 49.3 18.0 31.3 6.97 156
1960–1965 5,000 2,000 4,000 46.3 13.2 33.2 6.87 120
1965–1970 8,000 2,000 6,000 41.2 8.7 32.5 6.77 77
1970–1975 12,000 2,000 10,000 32.6 6.4 26.2 6.36 51
1975–1980 23,000 4,000 19,000 29.1 4.6 24.5 5.66 36
1980–1985 36,000 4,000 32,000 30.5 3.7 26.8 5.23 25
1985–1990 45,000 5,000 40,000 28.4 3.1 25.4 4.83 17
1990–1995 48,000 5,000 42,000 23.0 2.5 20.4 3.88 12
1995–2000 49,000 6,000 43,000 18.1 2.1 16.0 2.97 10
2000–2005 57,000 6,000 51,000 16.2 1.7 14.4 2.38 8
2005–2010 81,000 8,000 73,000 14.0 1.4 12.6 1.86 7
CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Source: United National World Population Prospects[15]

Registered births and deaths

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Year Population Live births Deaths Natural increase Crude birth rate Crude death rate Rate of natural increase TFR
1976 646,900 21,394 33.1
1977 748,100 23,119 30.9
1978 852,200 27,645 32.4
1979 952,000 31,685 33.3
1980 1,042,000 34,774 33.4
1981 1,121,000 38,547 34.4
1982 1,190,000 41,961 35.3
1983 1,253,000 43,419 34.7
1984 1,318,000 43,704 33.2
1985 1,391,000 44,192 31.8
1986 1,472,000 45,460 3,222 42,238 30.9 2.2 28.7
1987 1,561,000 47,703 3,231 44,472 30.6 2.1 28.5
1988 1,656,000 50,836 3,447 47,389 30.7 2.1 28.6
1989 1,756,000 51,903 3,640 48,263 29.6 2.1 27.5
1990 1,860,000 52,264 3,938 48,326 28.1 2.1 26.0
1991 1,970,000 49,496 4,026 45,470 25.4 2.0 23.4
1992 2,087,000 50,604 4,271 46,333 24.2 2.0 22.2
1993 2,207,000 50,197 4,342 45,855 22.7 2.0 20.7
1994 2,329,000 52,440 4,584 47,856 22.5 2.0 20.5
1995 2,449,000 48,567 4,779 43,788 19.8 2.0 17.8
1996 2,571,000 47,050 4,785 42,265 18.3 1.9 16.4
1997 2,700,000 46,360 4,878 41,482 17.2 1.8 15.4
1998 2,838,000 48,136 5,033 43,103 17.0 1.8 15.2
1999 2,988,000 49,659 5,194 44,465 16.6 1.7 14.9
2000 3,155,000 53,686 5,396 48,290 17.0 1.7 15.3
2001 3,326,000 56,136 5,777 50,359 16.9 1.7 15.2
2002 3,507,000 58,070 5,994 52,075 16.6 1.7 14.9
2003 3,742,000 61,165 6,002 55,163 16.3 1.6 14.7
2004 4,088,000 63,113 6,123 56,990 15.4 1.5 13.9
2005 4,580,000 64,623 6,361 58,262 14.1 1.4 12.7
2006 5,242,000 62,960 6,483 56,477 12.0 1.2 10.8
2007 6,044,000 67,677 7,414 60,263 11.2 1.2 10.0
2008 6,894,000 68,779 7,755 61,024 9.9 1.1 8.8
2009 7,666,000 76,366 7,789 68,577 10.0 1.0 9.0
2010 8,271,000 79,625 7,414 72,211 9.6 0.9 8.7
2011 8,672,000 83,950 7,350 76,600 9.7 0.8 8.9
2012 8,900,000 89,578 7,702 81,876 10.1 0.9 9.2
2013 9,006,000 93,539 8,015 88,524 10.4 0.9 9.5
2014 9,071,000 95,860 8,265 87,595 10.6 0.9 9.7
2015 9,154,000 97,328 8,755 88,573 10.6 1.0 9.6
2016 9,121,200 98,299 8,988 89,311 10.8 1.0 9.8
2017 9,304,277 97,738 8,826 88,912 10.5 0.9 9.6
2018 9,366,828 95,309 8,794 86,515 10.2 0.9 9.3
2019 9,503,738 94,697 9,006 85,691 10.0 1.0 9.0
2020 9,282,410 97,572 10,357 87,215 10.5 1.1 9.4
2021 9,861,007 92,777 11,911 80,866 9.7 1.2 8.5 1.494
2022 10,288,946 96,631 11,762 84,869 9.4 1.1 8.3 1.611
2023 10,678,556 101,088 11,514 89,574 9.5 1.1 8.4
2024 11,294,243 12,741 1.1

[16][17] Template:Chart Template:Chart

Life expectancy

File:Life expectancy in the United Arab Emirates.svg
Life expectancy at birth in the United Arab Emirates
Period Life expectancy in
Years 		Period Life expectancy in
Years
1950–1955 43.9 1985–1990 70.7
1955–1960 49.6 1990–1995 72.2
1960–1965 54.7 1995–2000 73.6
1965–1970 59.6 2000–2005 74.8
1970–1975 63.4 2005–2010 75.9
1975–1980 66.4 2010–2015 76.7
1980–1985 68.8 2019 78[18]

Source: UN World Population Prospects[19]

Ethnic groups

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The UAE National Bureau of Statistics does not publish demographic data in relation to any nationality. The figures listed in the table below are estimates provided by each country's embassy.[20]

Source: United Arab Emirates Population Statistics[21]

Template:Pie chart

Nationals of Population % of total population Year of data
File:Flag of India.svg India 4,360,000[3] 38.45% 2025
File:Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 1,900,000[3] 16.72% 2025
File:Flag of the United Arab Emirates.svg UAE 1,310,000[3] 11.50% 2025
File:Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 840,000[3] 7.38% 2025
File:Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines 780,000[3] 6.89% 2025
File:Flag of Iran.svg Iran* 540,000[3] 4.72% 2025
File:Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt* 480,000[3] 4.23% 2025
File:Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal 360,000[3] 3.15% 2022
File:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka 360,000[3] 3.15% 2022
File:Flag of the Syrian revolution.svg Syria 224,118 2.21% 2022
File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 240,000[3] 2.16% 2025
File:Flag of Jordan.svg Jordan 200,000 2.09% 2015
File:Flag of the Taliban.svg Afghanistan 150,000 1.57% <2011
Template:Country data Palestine 150,000 1.57% 2009
File:Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda 150,000 1.57% 2018
File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 120,000 1.26% 2020 [22]
File:Flag of Europe.svg European Union 107,000 1.09% 2015
File:Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 100,000 1.04% 2014
File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon* 100,000 1.04% 2015
File:Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco 100,000[23] 1.04% 2019
File:Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia 90,000 0.94% 2014
File:Flag of Yemen.svg Yemen 90,000 0.94% 2013
File:Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia 85,000 0.89% 2015
File:Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan 75,000 0.78% 2013
File:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg Saudi Arabia 70,000 0.73% 2014
File:Flag of Somalia.svg Somalia 70,000 0.73% 2015
File:Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 60,000[24] 0.62% 2025
File:Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq 52,000 0.54% 2014
File:Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria 50,000-100,000[25][26] 0.75% 2014
File:Flag of the United States.svg United States 50,000 0.52% 2015
File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia 40,000 0.42% 2021
File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 40,000 0.42% 2014
File:Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya 40,000 0.42% 2014
File:Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia 39,238[27][28][29][30] 0.39% 2016
File:Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 30,000 0.30% 2024
File:Flag of France.svg France 25,000 0.26% 2015
File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia 16,000 0.17% 2015
File:Flag of Uzbekistan.svg Uzbekistan 14,000[31][32] 0.14% 2014
File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany 12,000 0.12% 2013
File:Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 12,000 0.12%
File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain 12,000 0.11% 2015
File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania 10,000 0.10% 2022
File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria 10,000 0.10% 2014
File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy 10,000 0.10% 2014
File:Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 10,000 0.10% 2014
File:Flag of Thailand.svg Thailand 10,000 0.10% 2014
File:Flag of the Comoros.svg Comoros 10,000[33][34] 0.10% 2017
File:Flag of Oman.svg Oman 9,000[35] 0.09% 2003
File:Flag of Poland.svg Poland 9,000 0.09% 2024
File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 8,000 0.08% 2021
File:Flag of Azerbaijan.svg Azerbaijan 7,000 0.07% 2015
File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 7,000[36][37] 0.07% 2013
File:Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia 6,000 – 7,000 0.06% – 0.07% 2015
File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 5,500[38] 0.06% ?
File:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 5,466 0.06% 2018[39]
File:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan 5,000 – 6,000 0.05% – 0.06% 2015
File:Flag of Greece.svg Greece 5,000 0.05% 2015
File:Flag of Mauritania.svg Mauritania 5,000 0.05% 2015
File:Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia 5,000 0.05% 2015
File:Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam 5,000[40] 0.05% 2016
File:Flag of Armenia.svg Armenia 5,000[41] 0.05% 2013
File:Flag of Sweden.svg Sweden 4,000 0.04% 2015
File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal 4,000[42][43] 0.04% 2014
File:Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg Kyrgyzstan 4,000[44][45][46] 0.04% 2012
File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 3,000 – 4,000 ≈ 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico no official number
File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 3,000 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea 3,000 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Japan.svg Japan 2,603 ≈ 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic no official number available
File:Flag of Austria.svg Austria 2,500 ≈ 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus 2,500 ≈ 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia 2,500 ≈ 0.03% 2025
File:Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 2,500 ≈ 0.03% 2015
File:Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 2,430 ≈ 0.03% 2013
File:Flag of Singapore.svg Singapore >2,000 ≈ 0.02% 2015
File:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina 2,000[47] 0.02% 2013
File:Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg Bosnia and Herzegovina 1,000 – 2,000 0.01% – 0.02% 2015
File:Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 1,500 ≈ 0.02% 2015
File:Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela 1,200 ≈ 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Norway.svg Norway 1,184 ≈ 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Finland.svg Finland 1,180 ≈ 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Cyprus.svg Cyprus 1,000 ≈ 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Slovakia.svg Slovakia 1,000 ≈ 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal 700 – 800 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana 500 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 444 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan 400 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia 300 < 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Peru.svg Peru 300 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Chile.svg Chile 270 < 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Albania.svg Albania 200 – 300 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Chad.svg Chad 200 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 100 – 150 < 0.01% 2015
File:Flag of Fiji.svg Fiji 100s[48][49] < 0.01% 2014
File:Flag of Angola.svg Angola 100 < 0.01% 2015

*The figures for the countries cannot be directly sourced to embassy statements.

The UAE population is made of Emirati nationals (11.6%), other Arab and Iranian nationalities (18%), South Asian nationalities (59%) and other expatriate nationalities (includes Westerners, East Asians and Africans) at 12%.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Languages

File:Multicultural board in the UAE featuring various different languages.jpg
Multicultural signboard featuring English, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.
Most spoken languages in the UAE (>100k users)[50]
Language Number of speakers (all users)
Gulf Arabic 3,480,000
Modern Standard Arabic 3,090,000
Malayalam 1,060,000
South Levantine Arabic 499,000
Tamil 455,000
Northern Pashto 379,000
Southern Balochi 379,000
Hejazi Arabic 370,000
Kannada 337,000
Tagalog 303,000
Omani Arabic 303,000
Iranian Persian 303,000
Egyptian Arabic 284,000
French language 250,000
Eastern Punjabi 201,000
Southern Pashto 144,000
North Levantine Arabic 127,000
Sinhala 121,000
Sindhi 102,000

Arabic is the official language.[51] English is the most used language amongst expatriates and in business. Arabic is the main medium of instruction at all levels of schooling in government schools, while English is taught as a second language and used for teaching technical or scientific subjects. Private schools can follow a different curriculum (British, American, French, Pakistani, etc.) and use a different language.[52][53]

Emirati people speak Gulf Arabic.[54] The Achomi language (Persian dialect) is also spoken by a 303,000 people in the UAE.[55][56]

Other languages spoken in the UAE, due to immigration, include other Arabic dialects (such as Levantine Arabic), Malayalam (1,060,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Hindi–Urdu, Marathi, Persian, Cebuano, Pashto (144,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Kannada, Bengali (337,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Punjabi (201,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Odia, Telugu, Baluchi and Southern Baluchi (379,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Sinhala (121,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Tagalog (303,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Nepali, Mandarin, Tamil (455,000 speakers in the UAE[56]), Spanish, Italian and Greek.

In 2019, Abu Dhabi included Hindi as third official court language.[57][58] Currently, the UAE government provides lectures and tests to obtain a driving license in Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali, besides Arabic and English.[59]

Religions

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See also

References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-16/uae-banks-chase-turkey-opportunity-with-multimillion-dollar-loans
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  38. ↑ Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates
  39. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Template:In lang Հայերը ԱՄԷ-ում Template:Webarchive. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  42. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  43. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  44. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  45. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  50. ↑ United Arab Emirates, Ethnologue
  51. ↑ Constitution of the United Arab Emirates Article 7
  52. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ Curricula and language of instruction
  54. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ a b c d e f g h i United Arab Emirates, on Ethnologue
  57. ↑ Abu Dhabi includes Hindi as third official court language
  58. ↑ UAE introduces Hindi as third official language
  59. ↑ Not about numbers: Why Abu Dhabi labour court chose Hindi over Malayalam

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pt:Emirados Árabes Unidos#Demografia

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