UAE Facts & Figures

October 16, 2008

The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states – Abu Zaby, ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn – merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra’s al Khaymah. The UAE’s per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.

Background:
 The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states – Abu Zaby, ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn – merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra’s al Khaymah. The UAE’s per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.

Geography United Arab Emirates  
Location:
 Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Area:
 total: 83,600 sq km
land: 83,600 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Land boundaries:
 total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline:
 1,318 km
Climate:
 desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
 flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Natural resources:
 petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
 arable land: 0.77%
permanent crops: 2.27%
other: 96.96% (2005)

People United Arab Emirates  
Population:
 4,621,399
note: estimate is based on the results of the 2005 census that included a significantly higher estimate of net inmigration of non-citizens than previous estimates (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
 0-14 years: 20.5% (male 484,102/female 462,405)
15-64 years: 78.6% (male 2,663,702/female 970,672)
65 years and over: 0.9% (male 26,244/female 14,274)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2008 est.)
Median age:
 total: 30.1 years
male: 32 years
female: 24.6 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
 3.833% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
 16.06 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
 2.13 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
 24.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
 at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 2.74 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.84 male(s)/female
total population: 2.19 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
 total: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 15.32 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population: 75.89 years
male: 73.35 years
female: 78.56 years (2008 est.)
Ethnic groups:
 Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions:
 Muslim 96% (Shi’a 16%), other (includes Christian, Hindu) 4%
Languages:
 Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
 definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)

Government United Arab Emirates  
Country name:
 conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Government type:
 federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital:
 name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
 7 emirates (imarat, singular – imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra’s al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)
Independence:
 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
 Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution:
 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996
Legal system:
 based on a dual system of Shari’a and civil courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
International organization participation:
 ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Economy United Arab Emirates  
Economy – overview:
 The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Despite largely successful efforts at economic diversification, nearly 40% of GDP is still directly based on oil and gas output. Since the discovery of oil in the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up utilities to greater private sector involvement. In April 2004, the UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement with Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations toward a Free Trade Agreement with the US. The country’s Free Trade Zones – offering 100% foreign ownership and zero taxes – are helping to attract foreign investors. Higher oil revenue, strong liquidity, housing shortages, and cheap credit in 2005-07 led to a surge in asset prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Rising prices are increasing the operating costs for businesses in the UAE and adversely impacting government employees and others on fixed incomes. Dependence on oil and a large expatriate workforce are significant long-term challenges. The UAE’s strategic plan for the next few years focuses on diversification and creating more opportunities for nationals through improved education and increased private sector employment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
 $164.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
 $192.6 billion (2007 est.)
GDP – real growth rate:
 7.5% (2007 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP):
 $37,000 (2007 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
 agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 60.6%
services: 37.6% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
 3.065 million (2007 est.)
Labor force – by occupation:
 agriculture: 7%
industry: 15%
services: 78% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
 2.4% (2001)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
 14% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
 20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
 revenues: $68.27 billion
expenditures: $38.06 billion (2007 est.)
Industries:
 petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
 4.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity – production:
 57.06 billion kWh (2005)
Oil – production:
 2.51 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil – consumption:
 372,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil – exports:
 2.54 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil – imports:
 137,200 bbl/day (2004)
Oil – proved reserves:
 97.8 billion bbl (1 January 2007 est.)
Natural gas – production:
 45.07 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – consumption:
 39.56 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – exports:
 6.848 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas – imports:
 1.343 billion cu m (2005)
Natural gas – proved reserves:
 5.823 trillion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Current account balance:
 $34.53 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
 $178.9 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports – commodities:
 crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports – partners:
 Japan 23.4%, South Korea 10.2%, Thailand 4.9%, India 4.8% (2007)
Imports:
 $116.6 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports – commodities:
 machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports – partners:
 China 12.9%, India 10%, US 8.8%, Japan 6.1%, Germany 6%, UK 5.3%, Italy 4.6% (2007)
Economic aid – donor:
 since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)
Currency (code):
 Emirati dirham (AED)
Exchange rates:
 Emirati dirhams per US dollar – 3.673 (2007), 3.673 (2006), 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004), 3.6725 (2003)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002

Facts & Figures are retrieved from CIA World Factbook at:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ae.html

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