Total U.A.E.nationals Expatriates
Mil. % Mil. % Mil. %
Abu Dhabi 1.3 38 0.3 23 1.0 77
Dubai 1.1 29 0.2 18 0.9 82
Sharjah 0.6 17 0.1 17 0.5 83
Others 0.5 16 0.1 20 0.4 80
3.5 100 0.7 2.8
Expatriates come from all nations and make the UAE a melting pot. Most of the expatriates come from Asia. Approximately 60.000 British nationals, 5.000 French, 4.000 German and even more Russian live in the UAE. The French and the German have obviously not yet recognised the opportunities that exist here.
The population growth was between 6 and 7 % per year during the last 20 years. In 1980, Dubai had 276.000 inhabitants. Thus, the number of inhabitants has multiplied by 5 since then. A similar annual growth is envisaged in the future. There are 2.4 men to every woman in Dubai. The average size of a U.A.E. national household is 7.6 members, while that of the expatriate is 3.7. The life expectancy is 72.2 years for males and 75.6 years for females.
The official language of the country is Arabic although English is widely spoken. Almost all road and stop signs and restaurant menus, etc. are in both languages. The further away one gets from the large cities, the more Arabic is used both spoken and on street and shop signs.
Islam is the official religion of the U.A.E., but other religions are respected. Religious Muslims pray five times a day. Prayer times vary according to the position of the sun. Most people pray at the mosque. Loudspeakers on the minarets of each mosque call to prayers and ensure that every one know it is time to pray. Although a large number of mosques already exist in Dubai, it is the plan to build enough mosques so that residents do not have to walk more than 500 meters to pray. In the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Holy Koran and abstain from all food, drinks and cigarettes between dawn and dusk. During Ramadan, business activities are restricted.
