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United Arab Emirates
Western Asia
At a glance
CapitalAbu Dhabi
Official languageArabic
CurrencyUnited Arab Emirates dirham
Drives on theright
Highest pointJebel Jais1,911 m
Biggest category of goods exportedfuel68% of goods exports, 2023
Services share of exports28%of everything sold abroad, 2024
Internet domain.ae
United Arab Emirates by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 11.5m (2025) | 85th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $552bn (2024) | 30th of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 71.0k km² (2023) | 118th of 209 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $558bn (2023) | 18th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 22.4m (2024) | 62nd of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 3.17k km² (2023) | 149th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 3.92k km² (2023) | 150th of 206 |
| COâ‚‚ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 201 Mt (2024) | 29th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 9.90m (2025) | 68th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 83.1 years (2024) | 21st of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $50,274 (2024) | 31st of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 100.0% (2024) | 4th of 191 |
| InflationHow much prices rose over the year, measured on a basket of consumer goods. | 1.3% (2025) | 142nd of 182 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 2.2% (2025) | 167th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 86.0% (2025) | 39th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 1.21 (2024) | 191st of 209 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 199.0% of GDP (2023) | 8th of 183 |
| COâ‚‚ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 17.42 t (2024) | 9th of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.940 (2023) | 15th of 193 |
Land borders
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
United Arab Emirates shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has arabic as an official language 25Is an absolute monarchy 5Is a member of opec 13Mainly exports fuel 27Is in western asia 17
United Arab Emirates in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is United Arab Emirates.
Among countries with a population over 5 million, which has the highest share of international migrants in its population?
About 74% of everyone living in the UAE was born abroad — against 49% in Singapore, the next highest of any sizeable country. It is a labour market built almost entirely on temporary foreign workers who have no route to citizenship however long they stay, which is what lets the state expand and contract its workforce with the oil price. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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