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.
| Demographics of United Arab Emirates | |
|---|---|
Population pyramid of the United Arab Emirates in 2020 | |
| Population | 11.027.129 (2024 est.) |
| Growth rate | 0.58% (2022 est.) |
| Birth rate | 10.81 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Death rate | 1.56 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Life expectancy | 79.56 years |
| • male | 78.21 years |
| • female | 80.99 years |
| Fertility rate | 1.46 children born/woman (2022 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Net migration rate | 3.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) |
| Age structure | |
| 0–14 years | 14.45% |
| 15–64 years | 83.65% |
| 65 and over | 1.90% |
| Sex ratio | |
| Total | 2.21 male(s)/female (2022 est.) |
| At birth | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| Under 15 | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| 65 and over | 1.86 male(s)/female |
| Nationality | |
| Nationality | Emirati |
| Major ethnic |
|
| Minor ethnic |
|
| Language | |
| Official | Arabic |
| Spoken | Arabic, English, Punjabi, Hindi–Urdu, Malayalam, Pashto, Tagalog, Persian |
The majority of the population comes from South Asia, and is predominantly Muslim.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1963 | 95,000 | — |
| 1968 | 180,226 | +13.66% |
| 1975 | 557,887 | +17.52% |
| 1980 | 1,042,099 | +13.31% |
| 1985 | 1,379,303 | +5.77% |
| 1995 | 2,411,041 | +5.74% |
| 1999 | 2,938,000 | +5.07% |
| 2005 | 4,106,427 | +5.74% |
| 2010 | 8,264,070 | +15.01% |
| 2018 | 9,599,353 | +1.89% |
| 2025 estimate | 11,350,000 | +2.42% |
| Sources: | ||
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. As of 2024, foreigners represent 88.50% of the population, 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%.
Female citizens and non-citizens account for 36.20% percent of the UAE's population due to the high level of male foreign workers. The majority of the UAE population is between 25 and 54 years old 64.12%. A large part of this can be attributed to the expatriate worker population who fall in the age category. 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.
As of 2024 the population of the UAE stood at 11.35 million, with 63.80% being male and 36.20% female. 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. In 2024 the population density of the Emirates has reached a record 114 per km2.
| 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.[ |
Age structure
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 |
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
Registered births and deaths
| 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 |
View source data.
View source data.
Life expectancy
| 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 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Ethnic groups
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.
Source: United Arab Emirates Population Statistics
- Indians (38.5%)
- Pakistanis (16.7%)
- Emiratis (11.5%)
- Bangladeshis (7.38%)
- Filipinos (6.89%)
- Iranians (4.72%)
- Egyptians (4.23%)
- Nepalese/Sri Lankans (6.30%)
- Chinese (2.16%)
- Others (1.66%)
| Nationals of | Population | % of total population | Year of data |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 4,360,000 | 38.45% | 2025 |
| Pakistan | 1,900,000 | 16.72% | 2025 |
| UAE | 1,310,000 | 11.50% | 2025 |
| Bangladesh | 840,000 | 7.38% | 2025 |
| Philippines | 780,000 | 6.89% | 2025 |
| Iran* | 540,000 | 4.72% | 2025 |
| Egypt* | 480,000 | 4.23% | 2025 |
| Nepal | 360,000 | 3.15% | 2022 |
| Sri Lanka | 360,000 | 3.15% | 2022 |
| Syria | 224,118 | 2.21% | 2022 |
| China | 240,000 | 2.16% | 2025 |
| Jordan | 200,000 | 2.09% | 2015 |
| Afghanistan | 150,000 | 1.57% | <2011 |
| Palestine | 150,000 | 1.57% | 2009 |
| Uganda | 150,000 | 1.57% | 2018 |
| United Kingdom | 120,000 | 1.26% | 2020 |
| European Union | 107,000 | 1.09% | 2015 |
| South Africa | 100,000 | 1.04% | 2014 |
| Lebanon* | 100,000 | 1.04% | 2015 |
| Morocco | 100,000 | 1.04% | 2019 |
| Ethiopia | 90,000 | 0.94% | 2014 |
| Yemen | 90,000 | 0.94% | 2013 |
| Indonesia | 85,000 | 0.89% | 2015 |
| Sudan | 75,000 | 0.78% | 2013 |
| Saudi Arabia | 70,000 | 0.73% | 2014 |
| Somalia | 70,000 | 0.73% | 2015 |
| Turkey | 60,000 | 0.62% | 2025 |
| Iraq | 52,000 | 0.54% | 2014 |
| Nigeria | 50,000-100,000 | 0.75% | 2014 |
| United States | 50,000 | 0.52% | 2015 |
| Russia | 40,000 | 0.42% | 2021 |
| Canada | 40,000 | 0.42% | 2014 |
| Kenya | 40,000 | 0.42% | 2014 |
| Tunisia | 39,238 | 0.39% | 2016 |
| Ukraine | 30,000 | 0.30% | 2024 |
| France | 25,000 | 0.26% | 2015 |
| Australia | 16,000 | 0.17% | 2015 |
| Uzbekistan | 14,000 | 0.14% | 2014 |
| Germany | 12,000 | 0.12% | 2013 |
| Ireland | 12,000 | 0.12% | |
| Spain | 12,000 | 0.11% | 2015 |
| Romania | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2022 |
| Algeria | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2014 |
| Italy | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2014 |
| South Korea | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2014 |
| Thailand | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2014 |
| Comoros | 10,000 | 0.10% | 2017 |
| Oman | 9,000 | 0.09% | 2003 |
| Poland | 9,000 | 0.09% | 2024 |
| Netherlands | 8,000 | 0.08% | 2021 |
| Azerbaijan | 7,000 | 0.07% | 2015 |
| Bulgaria | 7,000 | 0.07% | 2013 |
| Malaysia | 6,000 – 7,000 | 0.06% – 0.07% | 2015 |
| Brazil | 5,500 | 0.06% | ? |
| Colombia | 5,466 | 0.06% | 2018 |
| Kazakhstan | 5,000 – 6,000 | 0.05% – 0.06% | 2015 |
| Greece | 5,000 | 0.05% | 2015 |
| Mauritania | 5,000 | 0.05% | 2015 |
| Serbia | 5,000 | 0.05% | 2015 |
| Vietnam | 5,000 | 0.05% | 2016 |
| Armenia | 5,000 | 0.05% | 2013 |
| Sweden | 4,000 | 0.04% | 2015 |
| Portugal | 4,000 | 0.04% | 2014 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 4,000 | 0.04% | 2012 |
| Denmark | 3,000 – 4,000 | ≈ 0.03% | 2015 |
| Mexico | no official number | ||
| Belgium | 3,000 | 0.03% | 2015 |
| Eritrea | 3,000 | 0.03% | 2015 |
| Japan | 2,603 | ≈ 0.03% | 2015 |
| Dominican Republic | no official number available | ||
| Austria | 2,500 | ≈ 0.03% | 2015 |
| Belarus | 2,500 | ≈ 0.03% | 2015 |
| Croatia | 2,500 | ≈ 0.03% | 2025 |
| Hungary | 2,500 | ≈ 0.03% | 2015 |
| Switzerland | 2,430 | ≈ 0.03% | 2013 |
| Singapore | >2,000 | ≈ 0.02% | 2015 |
| Argentina | 2,000 | 0.02% | 2013 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1,000 – 2,000 | 0.01% – 0.02% | 2015 |
| Czech Republic | 1,500 | ≈ 0.02% | 2015 |
| Venezuela | 1,200 | ≈ 0.01% | 2015 |
| Norway | 1,184 | ≈ 0.01% | 2015 |
| Finland | 1,180 | ≈ 0.01% | 2014 |
| Cyprus | 1,000 | ≈ 0.01% | 2014 |
| Slovakia | 1,000 | ≈ 0.01% | 2014 |
| Senegal | 700 – 800 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Ghana | 500 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| New Zealand | 444 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Taiwan | 400 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Latvia | 300 | < 0.01% | 2014 |
| Peru | 300 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Chile | 270 | < 0.01% | 2014 |
| Albania | 200 – 300 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Chad | 200 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Slovenia | 100 – 150 | < 0.01% | 2015 |
| Fiji | 100s | < 0.01% | 2014 |
| 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%.[citation needed]
Languages
| 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. 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.
Emirati people speak Gulf Arabic. The Achomi language (Persian dialect) is also spoken by a 303,000 people in the UAE.
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), Hindi–Urdu, Marathi, Persian, Cebuano, Pashto (144,000 speakers in the UAE), Kannada, Bengali (337,000 speakers in the UAE), Punjabi (201,000 speakers in the UAE), Odia, Telugu, Baluchi and Southern Baluchi (379,000 speakers in the UAE), Sinhala (121,000 speakers in the UAE), Russian, Ukrainian, Somali, Tagalog (303,000 speakers in the UAE), Nepali, Mandarin, Tamil (455,000 speakers in the UAE), Spanish, Italian and Greek.
In 2019, Abu Dhabi included Hindi as third official court language. Currently, the UAE government provides lectures and tests to obtain a driving license in Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali, besides Arabic and English.
Religions
- Islam (Official) (74.5%)
- Christianity (12.9%)
- Hinduism (6.20%)
- Buddhism (3.20%)
- Agnosticism (1.30%)
- Others (1.90%)
See also
- Demographics of Dubai
- Emirati diaspora
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