Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
37 (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total
3.95 million (2023 est.)
Communications: Broadcast media
most TV and radio stations state-owned, but many private organizations now operating in media free zones in Abu Dhabi and Dubai; widespread use of satellite dishes to access pan-Arab and other international broadcasts (2022)
Communications: Internet country code
.ae
Communications: Internet users: percent of population
100.00% (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
21 (2023 est.)
Communications: Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions
2.259 million (2023 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: subscriptions per 100 inhabitants
203 (2024 est.)
Communications: Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions
22.4 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Agricultural products
dates, cucumbers/gherkins, camel milk, goat milk, tomatoes, chicken, goat meat, eggs, milk, camel meat (2023)
Economy: Average household expenditures: on alcohol and tobacco
0.3% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Economy: Average household expenditures: on food
12.2% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Economy: Budget: expenditures
$19.349 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Budget: revenues
$23.248 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2023
$68.618 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Current account balance: Current account balance 2024
$79.973 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates
3.6725 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Currency
Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar -
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2013
3.6725 (2013 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2014
3.6725 (2014 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2015
3.6725 (2015 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2016
3.6725 (2016 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2017
3.6725 (2017 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2018
3.6725 (2018 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2019
3.6725 (2019 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2020
3.6725 (2020 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2021
3.6725 (2021 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2022
3.6725 (2022 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2023
3.6725 (2023 est.)
Economy: Exchange rates: Exchange rates 2024
3.6725 (2024 est.)
Economy: Exports - commodities
crude petroleum, refined petroleum, gold, broadcasting equipment, natural gas (2023)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2011
$315.868 billion (2011 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2014
$402.728 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2015
$358.530 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2016
$360.626 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2017
$382.138 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2018
$400.218 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2019
$404.863 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2020
$350.277 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2021
$425.156 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2022
$521.897 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Exports: Exports 2023
$558.402 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: exports of goods and services
108.6% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: government consumption
12.4% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption
45.6% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: imports of goods and services
-93.7% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in fixed capital
27.1% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by end use: investment in inventories
0% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture
0.7% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: industry
47.7% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - composition, by sector of origin: services
51.6% (2023 est.)
Economy: GDP - per capita (PPP)
$79,229 (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (official exchange rate)
$537.079 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: GDP (purchasing power parity) - real
$870.439 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income: Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2018
26.4 (2018 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: highest 10%
20.5% (2018 est.)
Economy: Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%
2.8% (2018 est.)
Economy: Imports - commodities
gold, broadcasting equipment, cars, refined petroleum, diamonds (2023)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2010
$178.611 billion (2010 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2015
$268.999 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2016
$270.715 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2017
$285.337 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2018
$281.536 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2019
$306.004 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2020
$297.228 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2021
$347.529 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2022
$427.992 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Imports: Imports 2023
$481.852 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Industrial production growth rate
0.8% (2023 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2015
4.07% (2015 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2016
1.62% (2016 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017
1.97% (2017 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018
3.07% (2018 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019
-1.93% (2019 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020
-2.08% (2020 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021
0.18% (2021 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022
5.29% (2022 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023
1.63% (2023 est.)
Economy: Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024
1.66% (2024 est.)
Economy: Labor force
7.09 million (2024 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2013
1.80% (2013 est.)
Economy: Public debt: Public debt 2017
19.7% of GDP (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2014
$705.022 billion (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2015
$629.269 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2016
$625.340 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2017
$648.226 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019
$753.928 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020
$627.902 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021
$656.665 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022
$693.842 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023
$718.95 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024
$745.994 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2015
7.09% (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2016
5.66% (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2017
-1.06% (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2018
1.54% (2018 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2019
1.27% (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2020
-8.69% (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2021
4.55% (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2022
7.51% (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2023
4.30% (2023 est.)
Economy: Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024
3.99% (2024 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2014
$87,478 (2014 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2015
$73,986 (2015 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2016
$69,987 (2016 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2017
$70,282 (2017 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2019
$79,816 (2019 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2020
$66,791 (2020 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2021
$68,580 (2021 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2022
$75,072 (2022 est.)
Economy: Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2023
$77,955 (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2023
$1.879 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Remittances: Remittances 2024
$1.797 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2015
$93.929 billion (2015 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2016
$85.391 billion (2016 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2017
$95.378 billion (2017 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2018
$99.503 billion (2018 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2019
$108.359 billion (2019 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2020
$106.702 billion (2020 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021
$131.117 billion (2021 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022
$138.433 billion (2022 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023
$189.491 billion (2023 est.)
Economy: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2024
$237.931 billion (2024 est.)
Economy: Taxes and other revenues
0.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2019
2.33% (2019 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2020
4.29% (2020 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2021
3.10% (2021 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2022
2.87% (2022 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2023
2.15% (2023 est.)
Economy: Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024
2.16% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): female
12.1% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): male
4.1% (2024 est.)
Economy: Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total
6.4% (2024 est.)
Energy: Coal: consumption
5.411 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: exports
82,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Coal: imports
5.512 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity access: electrification - total population
100% (2022 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels
75.3% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: nuclear
19.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity generation sources: solar
4.8% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: consumption
157.974 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: exports
613 million kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: imports
501.067 million kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: installed generating capacity
44.462 million kW (2023 est.)
Energy: Electricity: transmission/distribution losses
7.914 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Energy: Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023
450.432 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: consumption
67.734 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: exports
6.863 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: imports
18.938 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: production
55.8 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy: Natural gas: proven reserves
6.091 trillion cubic meters (2021 est.)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors
5.35GW (2025 est.)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Number of operational nuclear reactors
4 (2025)
Energy: Nuclear energy: Percent of total electricity production
19.7% (2023 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: crude oil estimated reserves
97.8 billion barrels (2021 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: refined petroleum consumption
846,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Energy: Petroleum: total petroleum production
4.146 million bbl/day (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from coal and metallurgical coke
12.788 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from consumed natural gas
132.876 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: from petroleum and other liquids
126.038 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions
271.703 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Environment: Climate
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Environment: Environmental issues
air pollution; water scarcity; lack of natural freshwater resources; land degradation and desertification; waste generation, beach pollution from oil spills
Environment: International environmental agreements: party to
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
Environment: International environmental agreements: signed, but not ratified
Law of the Sea
Environment: Land use: agricultural land
5.5% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 4.2% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: forest
4.6% (2023 est.)
Environment: Land use: other
89.7% (2023 est.)
Environment: Methane emissions: agriculture
47.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Environment: Methane emissions: energy
1,573.7 kt (2022-2024 est.)
Environment: Methane emissions: other
2.5 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Environment: Methane emissions: waste
448.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)
Environment: Particulate matter emissions
38.9 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Environment: Total renewable water resources
150 million cubic meters (2022 est.)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: agricultural
2.466 billion cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: industrial
55 million cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Total water withdrawal: municipal
2.297 billion cubic meters (2022)
Environment: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Environment: Urbanization: urban population
85.82% (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually
5.618 million tons (2024 est.)
Environment: Waste and recycling: percent of municipal solid waste recycled
24.5% (2022 est.)
Geography: Area - comparative
slightly larger than South Carolina; slightly smaller than Maine
Geography: Area: land
83,600 sq km
Geography: Area: water
0 sq km
Geography: Coastline
1,318 km
Geography: Elevation: highest point
Jabal Bil 'Ays 1,905 m
Geography: Elevation: lowest point
Persian Gulf 0 m
Geography: Elevation: mean elevation
149 m
Geography: Geographic coordinates
24 00 N, 54 00 E
Geography: Geography - note
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for crude oil; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) together account for over 90% of UAE's area and two-thirds of the population
Geography: Irrigated land
940 sq km (2022)
Geography: Land boundaries: border countries
Oman 609 km; Saudi Arabia 457 km
Geography: Land boundaries: total
1,066 km
Geography: Land use: agricultural land
5.5% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: arable land
arable land: 0.7% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent crops
permanent crops: 0.6% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: agricultural land: permanent pasture
permanent pasture: 4.2% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: forest
4.6% (2023 est.)
Geography: Land use: other
89.7% (2023 est.)
Geography: Map references
Middle East
Geography: Maritime claims: contiguous zone
24 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: continental shelf
200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Geography: Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone
200 nm
Geography: Maritime claims: territorial sea
12 nm
Geography: Natural hazards
frequent sand and dust storms
Geography: Population distribution
population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah -- are home to nearly 85% of the population
Geography: Terrain
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert; mountains in east
Government: Administrative divisions
7 emirates ( imarat , singular - imarah ); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Government: Capital: etymology
in Arabic, abu means "father," and dhabi refers to a personal name, Dhabi or Zabi, that comes from the word zab , or "gazelle"
Government: Capital: geographic coordinates
24 28 N, 54 22 E
Government: Capital: time difference
UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by birth
no
Government: Citizenship: citizenship by descent only
the father must be a citizen of the United Arab Emirates; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen
Government: Citizenship: dual citizenship recognized
no
Government: Citizenship: residency requirement for naturalization
30 years
Government: Constitution: amendment process
proposed by the Supreme Council and submitted to the Federal National Council; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote of Federal National Council members present and approval of the Supreme Council president
Government: Constitution: history
previous 1971 (provisional); latest drafted in 1979, became permanent May 1996
Government: Country name: abbreviation
UAE
Government: Country name: conventional short form
none
Government: Country name: etymology
self-descriptive country name; the name Arabia can be traced back at least as far as the ancient Egyptians, who referred to the region as "Ar Rabi;" "emirates" derives from amir , the Arabic word for "commander," "lord," or "prince;" the former name, Trucial States, refers to a maritime truce from 1820 between the British and the Arab sheikhdoms
Government: Country name: former
Trucial Oman, Trucial States
Government: Country name: local long form
Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
Government: Country name: local short form
none
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Chargé d’Affaires Eric GAUDIOSI (since August 2025)
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: consulate(s) general
Dubai
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: email address and website
abudhabiacs@state.gov https://ae.usembassy.gov/
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: embassy
Embassies District, Plot 38, Sector W59-02, Street No. 4, Abu Dhabi
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: FAX
[971] (2) 414-2241
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: mailing address
6010 Abu Dhabi Place, Washington DC 20521-6010
Government: Diplomatic representation from the US: telephone
[971] (2) 414-2200
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chancery
3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20008
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission
Ambassador Yousif AL OTAIBA (since 28 July 2008)
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: consulate(s) general
Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: email address and website
info@uaeembassy-usa.org https://www.uae-embassy.org/
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: FAX
[1] (202) 243-2408
Government: Diplomatic representation in the US: telephone
[1] (202) 243-2400
Government: Executive branch: cabinet
Council of Ministers announced by the prime minister and approved by the president
Government: Executive branch: chief of state
President MUHAMMAD BIN ZAYID Al Nuhayyan (since 14 May 2022)
Government: Executive branch: election results
2022: MUHAMMAD BIN ZAYID Al-Nuhayyan elected president; Federal Supreme Council vote - NA
Government: Executive branch: election/appointment process
president and vice president indirectly elected by the Federal Supreme Council -- composed of the rulers of the 7 emirates -- for a 5-year term (no term limits); prime minister appointed by the president
Government: Executive branch: expected date of next election
2027
Government: Executive branch: head of government
Prime Minister and Co-Vice President MUHAMMAD BIN RASHID Al Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
Government: Executive branch: most recent election date
unscheduled election held on 14 May 2022, after the death of President KHALIFA bin Zayid Al-Nuhayyan
Government: Flag
description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black, with a wider vertical red band on the left side meaning: the flag incorporates all four pan-Arab colors, which in this case represent fertility (green), neutrality (white), oil (black), and unity (red); red is a traditional color that was part of all the emirates' flags before their unification
Government: International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Government: International organization participation
ABEDA, AfDB (nonregional member), AFESD, AMF, BIS, BRICS, CAEU, CICA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OIF (observer), OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHRC, UNIDO, UNOOSA, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Government: Judicial branch: highest court(s)
Federal Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 4 judges; jurisdiction limited to federal cases)
Government: Judicial branch: judge selection and term of office
judges appointed by the federal president after approval from the Federal Supreme Council, the highest executive and legislative authority consisting of the 7 emirate rulers; judges serve until retirement age or the expiration of their appointment terms
Government: Judicial branch: subordinate courts
Federal Court of Cassation (determines the constitutionality of laws); the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ra's al Khaymah have parallel court systems; the other 4 emirates have incorporated their courts into the federal system
Government: Legal system
mixed system of Islamic (sharia) law and civil law
Government: Legislative branch: electoral system
other systems
Government: Legislative branch: expected date of next election
October 2027
Government: Legislative branch: legislative structure
unicameral
Government: Legislative branch: legislature name
Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihadi)
Government: Legislative branch: most recent election date
10/7/2023
Government: Legislative branch: number of seats
40 (20 indirectly elected; 20 appointed)
Government: Legislative branch: percentage of women in chamber
50%
Government: Legislative branch: scope of elections
full renewal
Government: Legislative branch: term in office
4 years
Government: National anthem(s): history
music adopted 1971, lyrics adopted 1986; Mohamad Abdel WAHAB also composed the music for Tunisia's and Libya's anthem
Government: National anthem(s): lyrics/music
AREF Al Sheikh Abdullah Al Hassan/Mohamad Abdel WAHAB
Government: National color(s)
green, white, black, red
Government: National heritage: selected World Heritage Site locales
Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud, and Oases Areas); Faya Palaeolandscape (c)
Government: National heritage: total World Heritage Sites
2 ( both cultural)
Government: National holiday
Independence Day (National Day), 2 December (1971)
Government: National symbol(s)
golden falcon
Government: Political parties
note: political parties are banned; all candidates run as independents
Government: Suffrage
limited
Introduction: Background
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states -- Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn -- merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ra's al Khaymah joined in 1972. The UAE's per-capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates for political reform. The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel -- brokered by the US -- in Washington, D.C. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel.
Military and Security: Military - note
the UAE Armed Forces (UAEAF) are responsible for defending the state, its resources, and territory, preserving internal security, and supporting the UAE's foreign policy objectives; key security concerns include regional stability and cross-border threats, such as piracy and terrorism; in recent years, the UAE has undertaken a military modernization program to go along with an assertive security policy which has included military involvements in Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen the UAE has close security ties to France and the US; it hosts a multi-service French military base, which includes the French naval command for the Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN); the UAE has a defense cooperation agreement with the US and hosts thousands of US military troops, mostly air and naval personnel; it also has defense ties with a number of other countries, including Australia, China, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, South Korea, and the UK, as well as NATO and fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, particularly Saudi Arabia the UAEAF traces its origins to the establishment of the Trucial Oman Scouts in 1951, a joint UK-Abu Dhabi organization modeled after Jordan’s Arab Legion, which became the Abu Dhabi Defense Force in 1965; the modern UAEAF were formed in 1976 (2025)
Military and Security: Military and security forces
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (includes special operations forces), National Guard (includes Coast Guard) (2025)
Military and Security: Military and security service personnel strengths
approximately 65,000 active Armed Forces (45,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 12,000 Presidential Guard) (2025)
Military and Security: Military deployments
maintains a few hundred troops in Somalia and Yemen (2025)
Military and Security: Military equipment inventories and acquisitions
the military is equipped with mostly modern imported armaments, and a smaller amount of domestically produced weapons; foreign suppliers have included China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, and the US; the UAE's domestic defense industry produces or co-produces such items as armored vehicles, naval vessels, precision munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles/drones for both internal use and export (2025)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2020
6.1% of GDP (2020 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2021
4.5% of GDP (2021 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2022
4% of GDP (2022 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2023
4.3% of GDP (2023 est.)
Military and Security: Military expenditures: Military Expenditures 2024
4% of GDP (2024 est.)
Military and Security: Military service age and obligation
18-40 for voluntary service; 18-30 years of age for compulsory national service for men with a 36-month service obligation for those without a secondary education and 11 months for secondary school graduates; women may volunteer for national service (11-month service obligation regardless of education) (2025)
People and Society: Age structure: 0-14 years
16.4% (male 842,577/female 802,302)
People and Society: Age structure: 15-64 years
81.4% (male 5,812,470/female 2,353,750)
People and Society: Age structure: 65 years and over
2.2% (2024 est.) (male 169,084/female 52,030)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: beer
0.21 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: other alcohols
0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: spirits
1.65 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: total
2.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Alcohol consumption per capita: wine
0.14 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
People and Society: Birth rate
10.65 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Current health expenditure
4.97% (2023 est.)
People and Society: Currently married women (ages 15-49)
67.4% (2018 est.)
People and Society: Death rate
1.73 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: elderly dependency ratio
3 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: potential support ratio
33.4 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio
23.4 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Dependency ratios: youth dependency ratio
20.4 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: rural
rural: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: total
total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: improved: urban
urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: rural
rural: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: total
total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Drinking water source: unimproved: urban
urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP)
3.9% of GDP (2021 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% national budget)
14.8% national budget (2021 est.)
People and Society: Education expenditures
3.89% (2021 est.)
People and Society: Ethnic groups
Emirati 11.6%, South Asian 59.4% (includes Indian 38.2%, Bangladeshi 9.5%, Pakistani 9.4%, other 2.3%), Egyptian 10.2%, Filipino 6.1%, other 12.8% (2015 est.)
People and Society: Gross reproduction rate
0.78 (2025 est.)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
5.3% of GDP (2021)
People and Society: Health expenditure: Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
12.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
People and Society: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.10% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Hospital bed density
1.9 beds/1,000 population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: female
4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: male
5.5 deaths/1,000 live births
People and Society: Infant mortality rate: total
3.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
People and Society: Languages: Languages
Arabic (official), English, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Pashto, Tagalog, Persian
People and Society: Languages: major-language sample(s)
كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: female
84.3 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Life expectancy at birth: male
82.2 years (2024 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: female
98.4% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: male
99% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Literacy: total population
98.81% (2024 est.)
People and Society: Major urban areas - population
3.008 million Dubai, 1.831 million Sharjah, 1.567 million ABU DHABI (capital) (2023)
People and Society: Maternal mortality ratio
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
People and Society: Median age: female
29.8 years
People and Society: Median age: male
38.1 years
People and Society: Nationality: adjective
Emirati
People and Society: Net migration rate
-2.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
People and Society: Obesity - adult prevalence rate
31.7% (2016)
People and Society: Physician density
2.99 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
People and Society: Population
10,986,400 (2024 est.)
People and Society: Population distribution
population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah -- are home to nearly 85% of the population
People and Society: Population growth rate
0.62% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Population: female
3,261,791
People and Society: Population: male
6,831,802
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: rural
rural: 99.9% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: total
total: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: improved: urban
urban: 99.8% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: rural
rural: 0.1% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: total
total: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: Sanitation facility access: unimproved: urban
urban: 0.2% of population (2022 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): female
16 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): male
15 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total
16 years (2023 est.)
People and Society: Sex ratio: 0-14 years
1.05 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 15-64 years
2.47 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: 65 years and over
3.25 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: at birth
1.06 male(s)/female
People and Society: Sex ratio: total population
2.13 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: female
2.4% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: male
13.9% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Tobacco use: total
10.7% (2025 est.)
People and Society: Total fertility rate
1.21 children born/woman (2024 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: rate of urbanization
1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
People and Society: Urbanization: urban population
85.82% (2024 est.)
Space: Key space-program milestones
1997 - initiated a national space sector 2009 - first remote sensing (RS) satellite (DubaiSat-1) developed jointly with South Korea and launched by Russia 2017 - announced Mars 2117 project, which included building a “Mars Science City” as the first step to establishing a human settlement on Mars within 100 years 2018 - first domestically produced RS satellite (KhalifaSat or DubaiSat-3) launched by Japan 2019 - first UAE astronaut (trained by Russia and US) in space on the International Space Station 2020 - signed US-led Artemis Accords for space and lunar exploration 2021 - became first Arab country to successfully place a probe (al Amal or Hope) in Mars orbit; announced plans to launch a probe in 2028 to land on an asteroid between Mars and Jupiter 2025 - domestically produced advanced RS/Earth imaging satellite (MBZ-SAT) launched by US
Space: Space agency/agencies
UAE Space Agency (created in 2014); Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC; established 2006) (2025)
Space: Space program overview
has an ambitious and growing national space program; focused on satellite development, including communications, remote sensing, and navigation, as well as deep space exploration; is building expertise, infrastructure, technology, and research and development capabilities; has elected to use foreign partners to launch payloads from spaceports abroad; has looked to invest in foreign commercial space companies and develop global partnerships; has a foreign-assisted astronaut training program; seeking to establish UAE as an international hub for space education; founding member of the Arab Space Cooperation Group; works with major global and regional players, including China, Egypt, the ESA, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, the UK, and the US; sees its commercial space industry as a key to diversifying and developing the country’s non-oil economy; dozens of space companies operate in the UAE, including international and start-ups, plus several space-science research centers (2025)
Transnational Issues: Illicit drugs: USG identification
major precursor-chemical producer (2025)
Transnational Issues: Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees
7,634 (2024 est.)
Transportation: Airports
42 (2025)
Transportation: Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
A6
Transportation: Heliports
204 (2025)
Transportation: Merchant marine: by type
bulk carrier 2, container ship 3, general cargo 122, oil tanker 16, other 512
Transportation: Merchant marine: total
655 (2023)
Transportation: Ports: key ports
Abu Zaby, Jabal Az Zannah/Ruways, Khawr Fakkan, Mina Jabal Ali, Zirkuh
Transportation: Ports: large
1
Transportation: Ports: medium
4
Transportation: Ports: ports with oil terminals
17
Transportation: Ports: small
9
Transportation: Ports: total ports
20 (2024)
Transportation: Ports: very small
6
Warning: Some information might be outdated or incorrect, please check statistics before using(most of the economical stats are correct, its mostly the Population stats that are incorrect). Some dates are listed but some are missed, if you have any issues please report it to the Github at github.com.