General Information » Facts & Figures » Population

According to the latest available figures, the population of the UAE stood at 4,041,000 at the end of 2004; of which Emirati nationals accounted for only 20%. Demographic trends within the country are driven by the nation's reliance on migrant workers to provide the workforce for their growing economy. During the 1990s, the population grew by an average of 6% a year. The boom in oil prices in 1999 and 2000 led to a sharp increase in demand for foreign labour and, as a result, the population had risen to 3,488,000 by the end of 2001, from 2,411,041 in 1995, a year on year increase of 12%. Recent UN estimates suggest that the UAE’s population will double by 2029.

The emirate of Abu Dhabi has the largest population of all the emirates, reaching almost 1,600,000 compared with just over 1,200,000 in Dubai and 636,000 in Sharjah. Abu Dhabi also has the highest male to female ratio, 2.53 men to every woman.

According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the UAE has the highest life expectancy in the Arab world at 72.2 years for males and 75.6 years for females.