Dubai's population grows 7.6% as recovery sets in

Dubai: Dubai's population grew 7.6 per cent last year, counter to analysts' estimates, as the business hub attracted workers and began to emerge from the economic downturn.

The number of people living in the emirate rose to 1.77 million from 1.65 million at the end of 2008, the Dubai Statistics Centre said on its website Monday.

The increase was 1.8 per cent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous three months.

About 90 per cent of Dubai's population is made up of expatriates.

"Despite our cautious [approach] on the methodology used, the figures are supported by industry demand data form utility and telecom companies," Majid Azam, a real-estate analyst at Al Futtaim HC Securities said yesterday.

"The fact [that] rentals are holding up even with the increasing supply is another sign the population is growing," he said.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority reported a 14 per cent increase in the number of power connections last year, Azam wrote in a note to clients yesterday.

Du, had a 40 per cent increase in mobile users and 17 per cent growth in fixed-line subscriptions during 2009.