Urban population in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Urban population was 9.90 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in United Arab Emirates, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
United Arab Emirates recorded 9.90 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.0% on the previous year and up 38.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in United Arab Emirates peaked at 9.90 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 96,530, in 1960.
United Arab Emirates ranks 68th of 215 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 130,895 | 96,530 | 192,897 | 10 |
| 1970s | 457,665 | 232,733 | 745,907 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.09 million | 823,775 | 1.41 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.94 million | 1.49 million | 2.58 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.93 million | 2.77 million | 5.58 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.96 million | 5.73 million | 8.03 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.85 million | 8.01 million | 9.90 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More climate change data for United Arab Emirates
- Population growth 4.7% (2025)
- Population, total 11.51 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 4.9% (2025)
- Urban population 86.0% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 57.5% (2025)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 2.26 billion cubic meters (2022)
- Annual freshwater withdrawals, total 1,509.9% (2022)
- Terrestrial protected areas 19.2% (2025)
- Terrestrial and marine protected areas 16.1% (2025)
- Marine protected areas 12.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in United Arab Emirates?
- Urban population in United Arab Emirates was 9.90 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 9.90 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 96,530 in 1960.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for urban population?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 68th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.