Dubai population hits 4.58 million in 2025, women just 31%

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Dubai population hits 4.58 million in 2025, women just 31%: data

July 30, 2026

DUBAI,— Dubai’s population climbed to 4.58 million by the end of 2025, marking an increase of about 332,000 residents over the previous year and a growth rate of 7.5 percent, the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment said Thursday.

Men account for 69 percent of that total, or 3.138 million people, while women make up 31 percent, or 1.442 million, according to the data.

The figures were released through Digital Dubai, the emirate’s digital government arm. Officials said the growth cements Dubai’s standing as one of the world’s top destinations for investment, business and skilled workers.

When counting people who move through the emirate for work or leisure during the day, the average number present rises to 6.392 million, the agency said.

That daytime figure includes more than 1.812 million people who are in Dubai temporarily for jobs, tourism, education or shopping.

Younus Al Nasser, chief executive officer of the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, said the population increase mirrors a strong local economy.

Dubai’s real gross domestic product grew 5.4 percent in 2025, he said, while the emirate welcomed 19.6 million international visitors and handled roughly 96 million airport passengers over the same period.

Al Nasser said the daily inflow of workers and visitors from inside and outside the country pushes Dubai’s population to its peak of 6.392 million during working hours.

He said tracking this larger daytime population is essential for planning roads, public transit and government services.

Male residents account for 3.138 million people, or 69% of the population, while women make up 1.442 million, or 31%, according to the data.

A population split so heavily toward one gender points to an economy built around imported labor, where large numbers of men arrive to work in construction, transport, trade and other industries, often without their families.

In cities with this kind of imbalance, daily life tends to be shaped around single male workers rather than families or long-term settlement.

People at Dubai Mall, UAE July 25, 2026. Photo: Screengrab/video/CitiesWalk/YT channel/via DubaiDiplomacy.com

This can influence everything from housing demand and retail patterns to how public spaces and services are used, and it typically signals a workforce that is transient by design rather than a broader cross-section of settled residents.

Demographers note that such imbalances are common in cities that function primarily as labor and business hubs rather than as long-term residential centers, and the pattern is widely observed across other rapidly growing Gulf economies with comparable reliance on foreign labor.

Most residents fall within working age. People between 15 and 59 years old make up more than 83 percent of the population, the data showed, pointing to a labor force geared toward young and middle-aged workers.

Children under 14 account for 13.1 percent of residents, and people 60 and older make up just 3.1 percent.

The population has grown steadily in recent years, rising from 3.974 million in 2023 to 4.248 million in 2024, a 6.66 percent increase, before reaching 4.58 million in 2025.

Dubai has moved away from traditional, in-person censuses toward continuous, registration-based population tracking.

The emirate carried out seven traditional censuses between 1975 and 2005 before shifting to real-time data collection drawn from government registries.

Historical figures show how far the city has grown. Dubai’s population stood at about 12,000 in 1881 and has increased nearly 380-fold over the past 144 years to reach today’s total, according to the data.

Officials described the current 7.5 percent growth rate as among the highest in the emirate’s history, saying it reinforces Dubai’s position as one of the fastest-growing cities in the world and a leading draw for residents, investors and talent.

(With files from Government of Dubai Media Office, WAM)