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In 2026, the population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was approximately 11.47 million, compared with just over one million in 1980. 

Population of the United Arab Emirates

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) have undergone extreme demographic changes over the past decade. With the increasing developments, tourism and global recognition of cities in the UAE like Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it is to no surprise that the total population has grown by about 6 million people over the past decade. However, the majority of the total population of the UAE are expatriates. Any expatriate having lived in the UAE for a minimum of 20 years can apply for a citizenship, consequently, the growing total population is mainly due to the growing number of expatriates who become citizens and the high number of immigrants which gives the UAE the world’s highest net migration rate. This becomes evident when looking at the fertility rate, the average rate of children born per fertile woman in a year in the UAE, which has been steadily declining over the last decade.

Life expectancy, however, has been increasing steadily over the same time span. It is interesting to note that, despite this increase, total population of the UAE consists mainly of people between the ages of 15 to 64, another fact pointing towards expatriates and immigrants contributing to the increasing numbers.