Asia
Overview
Demography
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Currency: United Arab Emirates Dirham
Population: 11.51M
Population density: 148/km2
Conventions
Numbering system
Arabic numerals are not used.
Date format: dd-mm- yyyy
Time: 24h time system
Country code: 00971
Economy
GDP: 552.32 billion USD (2024)
GDP per capita: 50,273.5 USD ‎(2024) ‎
Exports: 311 billion USD (2024)
Imports: 310 billion USD (2024)
T-index
0.43%
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales.
Statistics
Internet users: 99% penetration, 11.3 million
Unemployment rate: 2.2% (2025)
Urbanisation: 86% (2025)
Global Innovation Index: 30th out of 139 countries worldwide
Literacy: 99% (2024)
Language data sources: Worldatlas/Britannica//EF/Wikipedia; Demography data sources: IMF/Worldometers; Conventions data source: Wikipedia; Economy data sources: WTO/OEC/CIA/Esomar/Datareportal; Statistics data sources: Datareportal/WorldBank/UN/UNESCO/CEIC/IMF/Culturalatlas/Commisceoglobal
If you need other information, below you can find a selection of economic/social/cultural data
Economy
GDP
552.32 billion USD (2024)
Trade – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 52nd out of 130 countries
The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) measures the sophistication and diversity of a country’s exports.
Product Imports
$310 billion (2024)
Service Imports
$116.65 billion (2024)
Market Growth Imports
12.6% of annual growth (2023)
Financial inclusion factors (over 15 years of age)
• 71.2% have an account with a financial institution
• 26.8% have a credit card
• 74.8% make digital payment
Active E-commerce
21,283 active stores
GDP Growth (annual %)
4%
GDP per Capita
$50,273.5 ‎(2024) ‎
Product Exports
$311 billion (2024)
Service Exports
$181.32 billion (2024)
Market Growth Exports
6.9% of annual growth (2023)
Main online stores
Amazon UAE, AliExpress, Noon, Namshi, Sharaf DG, Carrefour UAE, Jumbo Electronics, Lulu Hypermarket, Ounass, Mumzworld, 6thStreet, SHEIN
Global Startup Ecosystem Index
The UAE ranked 30th out of 100 countries, -27.5% of annual ecosystem growth
The Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranks countries and by the strength of their startup ecosystems. It evaluates factors such as startup activity, ecosystem quality, and the business environment for entrepreneurship.
Economy data sources: WTO/OEC/CIA/Esomar/Datareportal
Trade balance of goods from 2013 to 2025
Source: Statista
Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP)
Source: WorldBank
T-index
Reach most of the online purchasing power
T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales. It estimates the market share of each country in relation to global e-commerce.
Try it nowMedia
Media language Arabic, English
The press
Gulf News, Khaleej Times, The National, Gulf Today, Al Bayan, Al Ittihad
News Agency
Emirates News Agency, WAM English, WAM Arabic, Dubai Media Office, Abu Dhabi Media Office, Sharjah Government Media Bureau
Magazines
What’s On Dubai, What’s On Abu Dhabi, Time Out Dubai, Time Out Abu Dhabi, Fact Magazine UAE, Ahlan!
Television
Dubai TV, Dubai One, Sama Dubai, Dubai Sports, Dubai Racing, Noor Dubai TV
Radio
Dubai Eye 103.8, Dubai 92, Virgin Radio Dubai, City 1016, Tag 91.1, Hit 96.7
Media data source: Globalmedialist
Internet Data
Internet users
99% penetration, 11.3 million
Share of web traffic by device
80.40% mobile phones, 18.96% computers (laptops and desktops), 0.62% tablet devices and 0.01% other devices
Median speed of mobile Internet connection
614.42 Mbps (Download)
35.04 Mbps (Upload)
Median speed of fixed Internet connection
327.56 Mbps (Download)
163.37 Mbps (Upload)
Mobile connection as a percentage of total population: 202%
Most popular web search engines
Google 96.10%, Bing 2.77%, Yandex 0.44%, Yahoo! 0.32%, DuckDuckGo 0.23%, Petal Search 0.04%, Mail.ru 0.03%, Others 0.07%
Share of AI web traffic referrals
ChatGPT (87.76%), Perplexity (5.61%), Microsoft Copilot (4.02%), Google Gemini (1.73%), Claude (0.68%), DeepSeek (0.20%)
Most used social media
WhatsApp (89.0%), Facebook (82.2%), Instagram (82.0%), YouTube (79.8%), TikTok (78.2%), Messenger (65.0%), Telegram (58.5%), LinkedIn (48.7%), X (47.7%), Snapchat (46.3%), Pinterest (33.1%), Threads (22.3%), iMessage (19.3%), Reddit (16.5%), Skype (16.3%)
Percentage of mobile connections that are broadband (3G-5G): 100%
Internet data sources: Datareportal/Statcounter
Social statistics
Life expectancy
83 yrs (2024)
Current health expenditure
4.97% of GDP
Current education expenditure
79.5% of total expenditure in public institutions
CO2 emissions
19.45 metric tons per capita
Corruption perceptions Index
The UAE scored 69 out of 100, ranked 20th out 182 countries worldwide.
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) ranks countries by perceived levels of public sector corruption. It is based on expert assessments and business surveys, with higher scores indicating lower perceived corruption.
Religion
Muslim (official) 76%, Christian 9%, Other 15%
Ethnicity
South Asian 59.4%, Other 12.8%, Emirati 11.6%, Egyptian 10.2%, Filipino 6.1%
World Happiness Index
The UAE ranked 21st out of 147 countries, with a score of 6.821
The World Happiness Index ranks countries by people’s self-reported life satisfaction. It also considers factors like income, health, social support, freedom, and trust.
Social statistics sources: WorldBank/UN/UNESCO/CEIC/IMF/World Population Review
Research & Development
R&D Expenditure
1.49%of GDP
World Competitiveness Ranking
The UAE ranked 5th out of 70 countries, with a score of 94.1
The World Competitiveness Ranking measures how well countries create an environment that supports business performance and long-term prosperity.
It evaluates factors such as economic performance, government efficiency, business efficiency, and infrastructure.
World Digital Competitiveness Ranking
The UAE ranked 9th out of 69 countries, with a score of 93.38
The World Digital Competitiveness Ranking measures how well countries adopt and develop digital technologies to drive economic transformation.
It assesses factors such as knowledge, technology, and future readiness.
Technology – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 50th out of 97 countries
Research – Economic Complexity Index
Ranked 61st out of 138 countries
The Economic Complexity Index (ECI) measures the sophistication and diversity of a country’s exports.
Global Innovation Index
Ranked 3rd out of 18 North African & Western Asian countries, and 30th out of 139 countries worldwide.
The Global Innovation Index captures the innovation
ecosystem performance of 139 economies and tracks the most recent global innovation trends.
Research & Development sources: WorldBank/OEC/Wipo/IMD
Country Curiosities
The United Arab Emirates, with a population of 9.8 million, is home to over 200 nationalities, making it a cultural melting pot. Expatriates, particularly from India and Pakistan, significantly outnumber the Emirati natives. Dubai, one of the most multicultural cities in the world, has only 10% native residents, with 90% of its population consisting of immigrants from countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, India, Nigeria, and Ghana. This diverse population contributes to a rich tapestry of cultures and histories in the UAE.
Additionally…
- The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, completed in 2010, is the tallest building in the world at 828 meters (2,717 feet), with 163 floors.
- The UAE has one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world at $37,497.58.
- The UAE was founded on December 2, 1971, when the British established the seven emirates as independent states.
- There are over 9,000 mosques in the UAE, reflecting the predominance of Islam, which is the official religion.
- Before tourism and oil, Dubai’s wealth came from pearl diving, with over 300 dhow ships and 7,000 sailors in the early 20th century.
- The UAE imposes strict internet censorship, blocking social networks and many popular video hosting sites like YouTube.
- Emirati women typically wear black attire, while men usually dress in all white.
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