plate 025 · 2024 data

Three in four UAE residents are international migrants

International migrants as a share of total population, 2024, selected countries.

Egypt and the Arab world
  1. 1. Egypt is set to outgrow Japan in 2027, then Russia
  2. 2. In 2025, Suez Canal traffic was under half its record
  3. 3. Egypt exports more fresh oranges than any other country
  4. 4. Egypt is the world's biggest wheat buyer
  5. 5. Saudi Arabia has more desalination capacity than the entire US
  6. 6. Three in four UAE residents are international migrants
  7. 7. Only America draws more new foreign projects than the UAE
  8. 8. Algeria outspends all of sub-Saharan Africa on its military
  9. 9. Women in MENA now outpace men at university
  10. 10. Dubai's airport handles more international travellers than Heathrow
  11. 11. The UAE sold more goods abroad than France in 2025
  12. 12. Oil now makes less than a third of Saudi power
74%

of people living in the UAE are international migrants: 8.2 million.

4 of 6

Gulf states have migrant majorities: Qatar, UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain.

20×

The UAE's migrant share is 20 times the world's 3.7%.

Source: UN DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024: Key facts and figures (advance unedited), Annex II, 2024
the numbers & method
Three in four UAE residents are international migrants. Source: UN DESA Population Division, International Migrant Stock 2024: Key facts and figures (advance unedited), Annex II, 2024.
Share of population (%)Migrants (m)
Qatar76.72.3
United Arab Emirates74.08.2
Kuwait67.33.3
Bahrain52.30.8
Singapore48.72.8
Oman43.22.3
Saudi Arabia40.313.7
Switzerland31.12.8
Australia30.48.1
Canada22.28.8
Germany19.816.8
United Kingdom17.111.9
United States15.252.4
World3.7304.0
Egypt1.01.1

Claim types Fact · Estimate

Mid-2024 stock. UN counts foreign-born people, or foreign citizens where birthplace data are missing (common in the Gulf). PDF hosted by DevelopmentAid. UAE share was 68.6% in 1990; Qatar 49.0%. Migrant counts converted from thousands to millions.

Published 8 Oct 2026

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