Population and Demographics

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has one of the most diverse populations in the Middle East. Since the mid-1980s, people from all across South Asia have settled in there, and in fact, an estimated 85% of the population is comprised of non-citizens, one of the world's highest percentages of foreign-born in any nation.

The UAE's better living standards and economic opportunities than anywhere else in the Middle East and South Asia have made it an attractive destination for Indians and Pakistanis, Baluchis along with tens of thousands from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In 2006, there were approximately 1.2 million Indian nationals and 700,000 Pakistani nationals in the UAE, making them the largest expatriate community in the oil-rich nation. Persons from over twenty Arab nationalities, including thousands of Palestinians who came as either political refugees or migrant workers, live in the UAE.

The most populated city is Dubai, with approximately 1.2 million people. Other major cities include Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Sharjah, and Fujairah. About 88% of the population of the United Arab Emirates is urban. The remaining live in tiny towns scattered throughout the country or many of the desert oilfield camps.

There are also residents from other parts of the Middle East, Baluchistan, Africa, Europe, Post-Soviet states and North America. The UAE has developed a small number, but very affluent group of expatriates (Americans, British, Japanese and Australians) from developed countries, attracted to a very warm climate, scenic views (beaches, golf courses, man-made islands and lucrative housing tracts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai), the nation's comparably low-cost of living (but in 2006, thousands of real estate properties are valued over millions of dollars) and tax-free incentives for their business or residency in the UAE.

Facts and Figures

• Population: 2,602,713
• Age Structure:
  • 0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643)
  • 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689)
  • 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383)
• Median Age:
  • Total: 28.1 years
  • Male: 34.8 years
  • Female: 23.3 years
• Population Growth Rate: 1.52%
• Birth Rate: 18.96 births/1,000 population
• Death Rate: 4.4 deaths/1,000 population
• Net Migration Rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population
• Sex Ratio:
  • At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  • Under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
  • 15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female
  • 65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female
  • Total population: 1.43 male(s)/female
• Infant Mortality Rate:
  • Total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births
  • Female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births
• Life Expectancy at Birth:
  • Total population: 75.44 years
  • Male: 72.92 years
  • Female: 78.08 years
• Total Fertility Rate: 2.88 children born/woman
• HIV/AIDS:
  
  • Adult prevalence rate: 0.18%
• Ethnic Groups:
  • Emirati 19%
  • Other Arab and Iranian 23%
  • South Asian 50%
  • Other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8%
• Religions:
  • Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%)
  • Other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
• Languages:
  • Arabic (official)
  • Persian
  • English
  • Hindi
  • Urdu
• Literacy:
  • Total population: 77.9%
  • Male: 76.1%
  • Female: 81.7%