United Arab Emirates population pyramid 2026
11,574,682 people in 2026 (projected). The UAE’s pyramid is dominated by a male working-age bulge at 25–44, built since the 1970s by migrant labor, above a small and balanced base of children.
- 2026 population
- 11.6Mrank 86 of 237
- Median age
- 31.6 yearsoldest rank 126
- Fertility rate
- 1.21births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older1.8% age 65+
United Arab Emirates population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
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The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
United Arab Emirates age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 15.9% of the population, while 1.8% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 82.3% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies United Arab Emirates’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 21.6: about 22 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (19.3 children and 2.2 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes United Arab Emirates’s population pyramid
A workforce assembled in two generations
When the seven emirates federated in 1971, the population was only a few hundred thousand. Oil revenue financed a rapid build-out of cities, ports and infrastructure, and the labor came from abroad, mostly men from South Asia. The effect was immediate: in the 1975 pyramid men aged 20–29 already account for about a quarter of all residents. Growth continued in waves tied to construction and trade booms, taking the population past 10 million in the early 2020s.
In 2026 the male bands at ages 25–39 together hold nearly 30% of the population, against about 14% for women of the same ages, and the overall sex ratio is roughly 175 men per 100 women. Emirati citizens are a small minority of residents, usually estimated at around a tenth. Because residence depends on employment, most migrants leave before old age, so the bulge ends abruptly: the male 55–59 band is less than a fifth as wide as the male 30–34 band.
More women and families than in Qatar
The UAE’s imbalance is large but less extreme than in Qatar. At ages 25–29 there are about 1.7 men for every woman in the UAE, compared with about three in Qatar, which points to a larger share of migrants living with spouses and children and to substantial female employment in services and domestic work. Below age 15 the bands are narrow and nearly balanced by sex. Fertility across all residents is only about 1.2 children per woman, so each of these child bands is narrower even than the band for ages 45–49.
The concentration of people at working ages gives the UAE an unusually low age dependency ratio: there are few children and very few older people for each person of working age. The same structure places it high in the sex ratio by country ranking, alongside Saudi Arabia and its other Gulf neighbors.
Under the UN medium scenario the population reaches about 15.4 million by 2050, with roughly 154 men per 100 women and a working-age bulge that remains the dominant feature of the chart.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15–19 | 2007–2011 | Notch (smaller cohort) | −34% |
| 30–34 | 1992–1996 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +13% |
In the UN medium scenario births outnumber deaths in every year through 2100. Children under 15 outnumber people aged 65 and older in every pyramid year through 2100.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, United Arab Emirates is projected to record 119,325 births (about 327 births a day) and 11,114 deaths, a natural increase of 108,211. Net migration adds +87,401 people, ranking #15 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 1,944,880 births, 199,080 deaths, and cumulative net migration of +5,713,989. Over that period migration moved the total more than the balance of births and deaths did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of +386,877 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 84.6 years47.0 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 82.6 years38.3 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 20.5 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 4.7per 1,000 births · 173 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 5.7per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 32.2 yearssex ratio at birth 104.5
Women in United Arab Emirates are projected to live 2.0 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 173 to 4.7 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #176 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 32.2 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for United Arab Emirates
The median age of 31.6 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.21 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 83.4 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,574,682 | #86 | Largest first |
| Median age | 31.6 years | #126 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.21 | #219 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | +1.7% | #58 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 83.4 years | #23 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 1.8% | #236 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in United Arab Emirates
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | 1,806,778 | 15.6% | 1.3M / 528K |
| 2 | 35–39 | 1,658,985 | 14.3% | 1.2M / 505K |
| 3 | 25–29 | 1,548,221 | 13.4% | 983.7K / 564.5K |
| 4 | 40–44 | 1,111,509 | 9.6% | 726.3K / 385.2K |
| 5 | 20–24 | 941,826 | 8.1% | 597.1K / 344.7K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, United Arab Emirates has 7,366,199 males and 4,208,484 females. That is 175.0 males per 100 females, ranking #2 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 63.6% of the population and females for 36.4%. There are 3,157,715 more males than females overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 125.7 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 104.5 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How United Arab Emirates has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 74,512 in 1950 to 11,574,682 in 2026, a change of 15434%. Over the same span, median age moved from 17.5 to 31.6 years.
The under-15 share changed from 42.7% to 15.9%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 3.3% to 1.8%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately. See the United Arab Emirates population pyramid in 1950 for the full starting shape.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, United Arab Emirates’s population is projected to grow by about 33%, reaching 15,367,392 in 2050. The median age changes from 31.6 to 32.6 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 0.3 percentage points to 2.1%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 18.1%. The United Arab Emirates population pyramid for 2050 shows the projected shape in detail. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The population is still rising at the end of the UN medium projection in 2100, when it reaches 26,134,299. The page therefore does not assign a peak year beyond the available horizon.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 74,512 | 17.5 | 6.50 | 42.1 | 3,395 | 1,660 | +3,186 | +6.6% |
| 1960 | 131,334 | 18.6 | 6.50 | 50.7 | 5,243 | 1,824 | +3,102 | +5.0% |
| 1970 | 286,536 | 22.0 | 6.52 | 60.8 | 8,914 | 1,992 | +40,792 | +16.7% |
| 1980 | 1,015,700 | 25.2 | 5.95 | 68.2 | 28,938 | 3,934 | +78,148 | +10.2% |
| 1990 | 1,898,220 | 24.9 | 4.51 | 71.1 | 46,627 | 5,288 | +67,118 | +5.7% |
| 2000 | 3,493,576 | 27.3 | 2.73 | 76.3 | 56,993 | 7,000 | +178,469 | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 6,938,363 | 30.7 | 1.57 | 81.9 | 78,052 | 7,448 | +161,842 | +3.4% |
| 2020 | 9,448,524 | 30.9 | 1.29 | 81.9 | 98,881 | 10,566 | +92,541 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 10,642,081 | 31.2 | 1.20 | 82.9 | 104,015 | 9,916 | +300,004 | +3.7% |
| 2024* | 11,027,129 | 31.6 | 1.21 | 83.1 | 108,273 | 10,719 | +278,439 | +3.4% |
| 2026* | 11,574,682 | 31.6 | 1.21 | 83.4 | 119,325 | 11,114 | +87,401 | +1.7% |
| 2030* | 12,190,605 | 31.8 | 1.23 | 84.0 | 137,833 | 11,448 | +7,891 | +1.1% |
| 2040* | 13,693,776 | 32.3 | 1.28 | 85.4 | 164,188 | 12,705 | +8,695 | +1.2% |
| 2050* | 15,367,392 | 32.6 | 1.33 | 86.6 | 177,059 | 16,834 | +13,841 | +1.1% |
| 2060* | 17,214,830 | 32.7 | 1.36 | 87.6 | 204,163 | 19,105 | +10,493 | +1.1% |
| 2070* | 19,334,289 | 33.1 | 1.39 | 88.7 | 237,408 | 21,366 | +8,808 | +1.2% |
| 2080* | 21,617,417 | 33.6 | 1.41 | 89.6 | 261,466 | 42,009 | +7,567 | +1.1% |
| 2090* | 23,852,866 | 33.8 | 1.44 | 90.6 | 289,704 | 73,690 | +6,061 | +0.9% |
| 2100* | 26,134,299 | 33.9 | 1.46 | 91.6 | 324,239 | 91,252 | +5,051 | +0.9% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 302,938 | 310,521 | 613,459 | 5.3% |
| 5–9 | 315,841 | 316,895 | 632,736 | 5.5% |
| 10–14 | 300,031 | 295,885 | 595,916 | 5.1% |
| 15–19 | 272,435 | 236,076 | 508,511 | 4.4% |
| 20–24 | 597,133 | 344,693 | 941,826 | 8.1% |
| 25–29 | 983,711 | 564,510 | 1,548,221 | 13.4% |
| 30–34 | 1,278,802 | 527,976 | 1,806,778 | 15.6% |
| 35–39 | 1,153,976 | 505,009 | 1,658,985 | 14.3% |
| 40–44 | 726,343 | 385,166 | 1,111,509 | 9.6% |
| 45–49 | 536,513 | 245,529 | 782,042 | 6.8% |
| 50–54 | 390,618 | 154,462 | 545,080 | 4.7% |
| 55–59 | 236,851 | 128,200 | 365,051 | 3.2% |
| 60–64 | 153,036 | 99,734 | 252,770 | 2.2% |
| 65–69 | 61,132 | 43,090 | 104,222 | 0.9% |
| 70–74 | 25,776 | 24,503 | 50,279 | 0.4% |
| 75–79 | 20,887 | 16,233 | 37,120 | 0.3% |
| 80–84 | 6,006 | 5,207 | 11,213 | 0.1% |
| 85–89 | 3,425 | 3,680 | 7,105 | 0.1% |
| 90–94 | 658 | 921 | 1,579 | 0.0% |
| 95–99 | 84 | 178 | 262 | 0.0% |
| 100+ | 5 | 15 | 20 | 0.0% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to United Arab Emirates’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Qatar94% overlap · median age 33.4
- Bahrain90% overlap · median age 33.4
- Oman89% overlap · median age 29.8
- Saudi Arabia88% overlap · median age 29.7
- Maldives88% overlap · median age 33.4
- Kuwait86% overlap · median age 34.8
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for United Arab Emirates.
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APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). United Arab Emirates Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/
MLA
“United Arab Emirates Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “United Arab Emirates Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of United Arab Emirates in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, United Arab Emirates's population in 2026 is projected at 11,574,682.
What is the median age in United Arab Emirates?
The projected median age in United Arab Emirates in 2026 is 31.6 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in United Arab Emirates?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.21 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is United Arab Emirates's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will grow by about 33%, from 11.6M to 15.4M.
What share of United Arab Emirates is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 1.8% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 2.1%.
How many babies are born in United Arab Emirates each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 119,325 births and 11,114 deaths in 2026, about 327 births a day. Births exceed deaths by 108,211.
What is life expectancy in United Arab Emirates for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 84.6 years for women and 82.6 years for men, a gap of 2.0 years in favour of women.
Does United Arab Emirates have more immigrants or emigrants?
United Arab Emirates is projected to gain about 87,401 more people through migration than it loses in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of +5,713,989.
What is the sex ratio in United Arab Emirates?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 175.0 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.