UAE: population, economy, religions and languages

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:46

The United Arab Emirates is an amazing country that many dream of visiting. Today, the UAE is known as a successful, prosperous state with a high standard of living. Literally some 60 years ago, before oil was discovered here, this country was very poor.

Population

In the UAE, the population, which today is more than 8 million people (2011 data), is predominantly made up of immigrants. In the 1980s, a huge number of immigrants arrived from the less developed countries of Asia in search of a better life.

Ethnic composition is quite diverse:

Hindus and South Asians make up over 35%.
The indigenous population of the UAE (Arabs of the Qawasim and Baniyaz tribes) does not exceed 12%.
5% of Iranians live in the Emirates, slightly more than 3% of Filipinos.
European ethnic groups make up 2.4%.

A large Russian diaspora lives in the emirate of Ajam, consisting of sever althousand people.

In the UAE, the population of 8.264 million is divided into two groups:

Indigenous ethnic group - 947 thousand
Foreigners – 7.316 million

The average life expectancy in the UAE is 72 years for men and 78 years for women.

The level of education of the population is approximately 77%.

Gender imbalance

In 2013, demographic statistics were published in Dubai. During the year, the population growth was 5%. However, there is a large gender imbalance. Thus, in Dubai, the male population is 2 million 200 thousand people, which is 75-77% in percentage terms. Such a significant gap is associated with the influx of labor migrants, most of whom are men. Many of them come to the emirates without a family, which is the reason for the gender imbalance in this region.

Among foreigners living in the UAE, the male population is about 5.682 million, while the female population is much smaller, only 1.633 million.

Indigenous

The exact number of indigenous people in the UAE, according to statistics, is 947,997 people. Most of them (42%) live in the richest emirate of Abu Dhabi. The local population is 204,000 males and 200,000 females.

In Dubai, the total number of indigenous ethnic groups fluctuates within 33%. The male population is 84,000, the female population is 83,000.

One of the most uninhabited emirates is Umm Al Quwain. Althoughthis is the only place in the UAE where the female population prevails over the male. There are a little more than 17,000 indigenous people, of which:

8800 - women;
8600 - men.

Language and religions

In the UAE, the population mainly speaks Arabic, which is the state language in this country. Since the United Arab Emirates is visited by a huge number of tourists from all over the world, English is often used to communicate here. The most common languages are also Farsi, Hindi, Urdu.

Arabs adhere to national traditions, so it is not surprising that for many centuries Islam has been the main religion of the UAE. The population of the country is mainly composed of Muslims who belong to various religious movements. The largest group are Sunnis (85%) and the smallest are Ibadis (2%). There are about 13% Shiites.

The influx of temporary immigrants who come to the Emirates to work has left its mark in the religious sphere. There are several Christian churches and schools in the UAE that belong to the Protestant and Catholic denominations. Most of them are located on the territory of the two largest cities - Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Buddhists conduct their religious rites in private estates. Dubai has a Sikh Gurdwara and a Hindu temple.

Economics

Economic growth in the UAE can be called moderate and stable. Not so long ago, a significant share of GDPwas oil, but thanks to the process of economic diversification, its injections decreased by 25%. The country's leadership aims to develop alternative industries.

Although oil is still the pillar of the emirates' economy, aluminum and furniture production have risen in recent years. The importance of the metalworking industry has increased. Agriculture is not very developed in the UAE. Out of 100% of GDP, this sector accounts for no more than 0.6%. The service sector, which includes tourism, international trade and the banking industry, contributes 40.5% of the country's total income. The lion's share of GDP, which is 58.9%, falls on industry.

Over the past 60 years, the economy of the United Arab Emirates has grown rapidly. Particular achievements have been made in the industrial sector.

Today, this country is one of the three world leaders in the extraction of "black gold".

According to 2013 statistics, the UAE per capita GDP is $43,048.

The standard of living in this country is very high. The government supports investment projects aimed at improving the field of medicine and education.