Habibi, they’re coming to Dubai…

Dubai has recorded the highest increase in population in 2024 since 2018 and the number of expats flocking to the emirate is on the increase with the population now over 3.8 million.

According to the Dubai Statistic Centre, Dubai’s population grew by over 169,000 in 2024 to reach 3.825 million at the end of the year.

Khaleej Times recently reported that Dubai’s  population has grown by more than 104,000 in 2023, 71,500 in 2022, and 67,000 in 2021. In 2019, the population expanded by over 162,000 in 2019 and over 215,000 in 2018.

In September of 2024, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, announced a new population census that will allow the government to understand the Dubai population in more detail and it will have “real-time data on Dubai’s residents”.

We’re not surprised that so many people are flocking to the UAE and there are so many reasons why it’s the best place in the world to live. Whether it’s the safety, the weather, the tax-free salaries, there are so many incredible features to this country and people are moving to reap the benefits of the UAE.

The residential population of Dubai is expected to hit 5.8 million by 2040 and the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan aims to equip the city fully for this increase.

According to a 2024 survey, Dubai’s population is 88.5 per cent expat. That ratio of citizen to migrant, represents a rare and fascinating statistic amongst the global demographic. This multicultural make-up, along with the protective mantra of tolerance being issued by the leadership, gives Dubai a unqiue cultural profundity and inspires a diverse cosmos of talent and ideas.

The world really would benefit from studying Dubai’s population and leadership.

Images: Unsplash