United Arab Emirates Travel Podcast with Omar Al Mansouri

Location

Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Terrain

Flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert; mountains in east

Climate

Desert; cooler in eastern mountains

Elevation

Highest point

Jabal Bil 'Ays 1,905 m

Lowest point

Persian Gulf 0 m

Mean elevation

149 m

Area

Total

83,600 sq km

Land

83,600 sq km

Water

0 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly larger than South Carolina; slightly smaller than Maine

Coastline

1,318 km

Land borders

Total

1,066 km

Border countries

Oman 609 km; Saudi Arabia 457 km

Natural resources

Petroleum, natural gas

Land use

Agricultural land

5.5% (2023 est.)

Arable land

0.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

0.6% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

4.2% (2023 est.)

Forest

4.6% (2023 est.)

Other

89.7% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Frequent sand and dust storms

Note

Strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for crude oil; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) together account for over 90% of UAE's area and two-thirds of the population

Population

Total

10,093,593 (2025 est.)

Male

6,831,802

Female

3,261,791

Nationality

Noun

Emirati(s)

Adjective

Emirati

Ethnic groups

Emirati 11.6%, South Asian 59.4% (includes Indian 38.2%, Bangladeshi 9.5%, Pakistani 9.4%, other 2.3%), Egyptian 10.2%, Filipino 6.1%, other 12.8% (2015 est.)

Languages

Languages

Arabic (official), English, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Pashto, Tagalog, Persian

Major-language sample(s)

كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)

Religions

Muslim 74.5% (official) (Sunni 63.3%, Shia 6.7%, other 4.4%), Christian 12.9%, Hindu 6.2%, Buddhist 3.2%, agnostic 1.3%, other 1.9% (2020 est.)

Median age

Total

35.8 years (2025 est.)

Male

38.1 years

Female

29.8 years

Life expectancy

Total population

79.9 years (2024 est.)

Male

78.6 years

Female

81.4 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

87.8% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

Population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah -- are home to nearly 85% of the population

Largest cities

3.008 million Dubai, 1.831 million Sharjah, 1.567 million ABU DHABI (capital) (2023)

Background

The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states -- Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn -- merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ra's al Khaymah joined in 1972.

The UAE's per-capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates for political reform.

The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel -- brokered by the US -- in Washington, D.C. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel.

Government

Federation of monarchies

Capital

Abu Dhabi

Time zone

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah

Independence

2 December 1971 (from the UK)

National day

Independence Day (National Day), 2 December (1971)

Overview

High-income, oil-driven Middle Eastern economy; fastest GDP growth of Gulf states; diversification through tourism, construction, and services; strong foreign direct investment orientation; continued government investment and business-friendly reforms

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$68,600 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$68,600 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$68,900 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

1.7% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

1.6% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

5.3% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

2.2% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.2% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.9% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

3.672 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

3.672 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

3.672 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

3.672 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

3.672 (2020 est.)

Main industries

Petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizer, commercial ship repair, construction materials, handicrafts, textiles

Agriculture

Dates, cucumbers/gherkins, camel milk, goat milk, tomatoes, chicken, goat meat, eggs, milk, camel meat (2023)

Airports

42 (2025)

Ports

Total ports

20 (2024)

Large

1

Medium

4

Small

9

Very small

6

Ports with oil terminals

17

Key ports

Abu Zaby, Jabal Az Zannah/Ruways, Khawr Fakkan, Mina Jabal Ali, Zirkuh

Internet domain

.ae

Internet users

Percent of population 100% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

22.4 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

203 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Air pollution; water scarcity; lack of natural freshwater resources; land degradation and desertification; waste generation, beach pollution from oil spills

Fresh water

150 million cubic meters (2022 est.)