The UAE's population surged by 7.6 per cent last year to top four million and maintain its position as having one of the world's highest population growth rates.
Figures by the Ministry of Planning, obtained by Gulf News yesterday, showed the country's total population stood at 4.041 million at the end of 2003, the second largest population in the six-nation GCC after Saudi Arabia.
Males were more than double the females, standing at 2.745 million against a female population of 1.296 million, the report showed.
Last year's growth was equivalent to the 2002 population increase of 7.6 per cent but growth in the male population was higher than that of females. The population stood at 3.754 million at the end of 2002 and 3.488 million at the end of 2001.
The figures showed Abu Dhabi remained the most populous emirate in the UAE, with 1.591 million at the end of last year.
The population was put at 1.204 million in Dubai, 636,000 in Sharjah, 235,000 in Ajman, 195,000 in Ras Al Khaimah, 118,000 in Fujairah and 62,000 in Umm Al Quwain.
But in urban population, Dubai city topped the list, with around 1.17 million people at the end of 2003. Abu Dhabi city had nearly 552,000 while the population stood at 519,000 in Sharjah, 225,000 in Ajman, 102,000 in Ras Al Khaimah, 54,000 in Fujairah, 38,000 in Umm Al Quwain and 32,000 in Khor Fakkan.
In growth terms, Ajman had the highest rate last year, standing at 9.3 per cent. It was followed by Abu Dhabi and Dubai, with a combined rate of 8.2 per cent.
"UAE's population growth last year and in the previous 15 years was the highest in the Arab world and one of the highest rates in the world," a UAE social expert said.
"There are several reasons for this rapid growth. They include a high growth in the expatriate population, a continued foreign influx because of business upswing, and a rapid growth in the native population due to government incentives."
The report gave no breakdown for nationalities but according to independent estimates, UAE citizens account for around 25 per cent of the total population.
Expatriates from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Iran are estimated at nearly 40 per cent while the rest include other Arabs, Westerners, Africans and Asians.
The population structure appeared to be dominated by the youth and medium age groups, with children below 15 years surpassing one million and those between 15 and 40 years exceeding two million. The combined population of those groups accounted for nearly 80 per cent of the country's total population at the end of 2003.
Although the increase in the population has far outpaced growth in the gross domestic product (GDP) in most years in the past decade, the UAE has maintained its status as having one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
According to the Central Bank, it stood at around Dh72,800 ($19,835) in 2001 and Dh69,260 ($18,870) in 2002. It was projected at around Dh66,800 ($18,200) in 2003, the second highest in the Middle East after Qatar and one of the highest in the world.
The UAE people have also remained among the biggest spenders in the region, with the private consumption, which covers mainly purchases of consumer products and services by individuals, standing at around Dh128 billion ($34.8 billion) in 2003.
A steady growth in the non-oil economy over the past years has also created more jobs and pushed the overall workforce to a record 2.03 million at the end of 2002. It was expected to have exceeded 2.2 million at the end of last year.
Gulf News
