UAE population grows sharply in last 20 years

More than 910,000 children have been born in the UAE over a period of 20 years at an average of 125 a day, one of the highest birth rates in the world, official figures show.

With a steady improvement in health and educational services, and a sharp decline in death rates, the UAE's population jumped more than three times between 1980 and 2001, according to the figures of the Ministry of Planning.

During that period, 810,370 children were born, including 370,274 UAE nationals and 590,096 expatriates, the Ministry said in its annual report for 2002.

It showed 2001 was the most fertile year during that period, with national births peaking at 23,209 and those of expatriates surging to 32,927.

Although expatriate births largely outstripped nationals in the UAE, the gap was in favour of citizens in Fujeirah and Ras Al Khaimah while it was in favour of expatriates in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. In Ajman and Umm Al Quwain, it fluctuated sharply during that period.

In 1982, local births in Fujeirah were as high as nearly three times expatriate births, standing 1,596 for locals and 534 for foreigners. Although the gap narrowed in the following years, it remained largely in favour of the UAE citizens.

In Ras Al Khaimah, there were 2,047 national births in 1982 compared with 1,559 expatriates while there were 203 national births and 183 expatriates in Umm Al Quwain.

In general, the gap between local and foreign births has steadily narrowed during that period due to higher fertility rates among citizens and a tendency by most of them to have more babies to benefit from government incentives aimed at boosting the native population.

Officials expect the gap to narrow further and the UAE's local population to grow faster than expatriates because of those measures and a government drive to lessen reliance on foreigners, who make up more than two thirds of the UAE's 3.48 million people.

The demographic gap in the UAE is underscored in Abu Dhabi and Dubai as hundreds of thousands of Asians and other expatriates have been attracted by massive development and infrastructure programmes launched by the two emirates after the discovery of oil.

Despite a sharp increase in their local population, expatriate births in the two emirates far surpassed national births between 1982 and 2001.

The ministry's figures showed 10,394 national children were born in Abu Dhabi in 2001 against 13,625 expatriates. In Dubai, local births stood at 5,596 against 11,157 foreigners.

According to the report, male births outstripped females in most years during that period to maintain the UAE's status as having one of the highest male rates in the world. By the end of 2001, males were nearly double females.

In 2001, live male births stood at 28,618 against 27,518 females while in 2000 27,640 males were born against 26,046 females.

The report put infant mortality rate in the UAE at 8.9 per 1,000 in 2001 and 8.3 per 1,000 in 2000, resulting in a natural increase of 50,378 and 48,290, respectively.


Population growth in the emirates

Emirates: 1975 - 1980 - 1985 - 1995 - 2001

Abu Dhabi: 211812 - 451848 - 566036 - 942463 - 1362000
Dubai: 183187 - 276301 - 370788 - 689420 - 1029000
Sharjah: 78790 - 159317 - 228317 - 402792 - 562000
Ajman: 16690 - 36100 - 54546 - 121491 - 196000
Umm Al Quwain: 6908 - 12426 - 19285 - 35361 - 52000
Ras Al Khaimah: 43845 - 73918 - 96578 - 143334 - 181000
Fujeirah: 16655 - 32189 - 43753 - 76180 - 106000

Total: 557887 1042099 1379303 2411041 3488000

*Source: Ministry of Planning