Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the United Arab Emirates

Historical populations
Year	Pop.	%±
1963	95,000	—
1968	180,226	89.7%
1975	557,887	209.5%
1980	1,042,099	86.8%
1985	1,379,303	32.4%
1995	2,411,041	74.8%
1999	2,938,000	21.9%
2003	4,041,000	37.5%
2009	5,671,112	40.3%
The United Arab Emirates first conducted a census in 1968. All population figures in this table prior to 1968 are estimates obtained from various sources. Sources:[79][80][81]

Ethnicity (1982)
South Asian	50%
Emirati	19%
Other Arabs & Iranians	23%
Others (including Europeans & East Asians)	8%
Source: CIA[2]

In 2010, the UAE's population was estimated at 4,975,593,^[82] of which less than 20% were UAE nationals or Emiratis,^[83] while the majority of the population were expatriates.^[84] The country's net migration rate stands at 21.71, the world's highest.^[85]
23% of the population are non-Emirati Arabs and Iranians and the majority of the population, about 50%, is from India.^[2] Approximately 1.75 million Indian nationals reside in the UAE, making them the single largest expatriate community in the country . However, by 2020 emiratis are projected to form 10% of the population. There is also a growing presence of Europeans especially in multi-cultural cities such as Dubai ^[86] Those from other parts of Asia (including the Philippines, Iran or Sri Lanka) comprised up to 1 million people. The rest of the population were from other Arab states.^[2][87]
Thousands of Palestinians, who came as either political refugees or temporary employment, also live in the United Arab Emirates. There is also a sizable population of people from Egypt, Somalia and Sudan who migrated to the UAE before its formation. The UAE has also attracted a small number of expatriates from countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania.^[88] More than 100,000 British nationals live in the country.^[89]
The population of the UAE has a skewed sex distribution consisting of more than twice as many males as females. The 15–65 age group has a male/female sex ratio of 2.743. The UAE's gender imbalance is only surpassed by other Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.^[90]
The most populated city is Dubai, with approximately 1.7 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.^[91] The remaining inhabitants live in tiny towns scattered throughout the country or in the many desert oilfield camps in the nation.
The average life expectancy is 75 years, higher than any other Arab country.^[92]

view · talk · edit view · talk · edit Largest cities of the United Arab Emirates 2008 Calculation[specify]
Dubai Abu Dhabi
	Rank	City Name	Emirate	Pop.	Sharjah Al Ain
	1	Dubai	Dubai	1,770,533
	2	Abu Dhabi	Abu Dhabi	896,751
	3	Sharjah	Sharjah	845,617
	4	Al Ain	Abu Dhabi	374,000
	5	Ajman	Ajman	372,923
	6	Ras Al Khaimah	Ras al Khaimah	171,903
	7	Fujairah	Fujairah	107,940
	8	Um Al Quwain	Um Al Quwain	69,936
	9	Khor Fakkan	Sharjah	49,635
	10	Dibba	Fujairah	30,000