Population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Population by labor force status was 1.81 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
1.81 million people
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
103rd
of 186 countries
All-time high
1.81 million people
in 2025
All-time low
578,701 people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
In 2025, population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates stood at 1.81 million people. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.0% on the previous year and up 24.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates peaked at 1.81 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 578,701 people, in 1991.
United Arab Emirates ranks 103rd of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 578,701 people | — |
| 1992 | 594,275 people | +2.7% |
| 1993 | 608,522 people | +2.4% |
| 1994 | 621,075 people | +2.1% |
| 1995 | 631,557 people | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 653,996 people | +3.6% |
| 1997 | 683,624 people | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 703,699 people | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 717,760 people | +2.0% |
| 2000 | 727,952 people | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 736,845 people | +1.2% |
| 2002 | 748,190 people | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 765,521 people | +2.3% |
| 2004 | 789,592 people | +3.1% |
| 2005 | 815,565 people | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 861,755 people | +5.7% |
| 2007 | 955,853 people | +10.9% |
| 2008 | 1.06 million people | +11.2% |
| 2009 | 1.13 million people | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 1.17 million people | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 1.21 million people | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 1.26 million people | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.32 million people | +4.6% |
| 2014 | 1.39 million people | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 1.46 million people | +5.2% |
| 2016 | 1.52 million people | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 1.55 million people | +2.0% |
| 2018 | 1.56 million people | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 1.56 million people | -0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.57 million people | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 1.62 million people | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 1.69 million people | +4.4% |
| 2023 | 1.74 million people | +3.0% |
| 2024 | 1.78 million people | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 1.81 million people | +2.0% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 1.81 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 941,170 people, 1.9× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 1.81 million people is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 2.91 million people, 62% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 643,690 people | 578,701 people | 717,760 people | 9 |
| 2000s | 859,514 people | 727,952 people | 1.13 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.40 million people | 1.17 million people | 1.56 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.70 million people | 1.57 million people | 1.81 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More work & labour data for United Arab Emirates
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.9136 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.7692 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 1.09 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7766 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 12,158 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 1,005 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 11,620 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 14,514 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 26,134 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates?
- Population by labor force status in United Arab Emirates was 1.81 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 1.81 million people in 2025.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 578,701 people in 1991.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for population by labor force status?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 103rd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).