Dubai’s population on Thursday passed the four million mark, according to the Dubai Statistics Centre.
The DSC maintains a population clock estimating the number of citizens and residents in the emirate, which is regularly updated. The emirate's population stood at 4,000,387 as of August 28.
The city's rising population is one of the most dramatic ways of expressing the Dubai success story. Fifty years ago, it was 175,000, so the new total represents an increase of 2,185 per cent since 1975.
Dubai's population reached two million on December 24, 2011, meaning it has doubled in less than 15 years.
The emirate was then emerging from the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2010, which hit Dubai’s property sector particularly hard.
But by 2011, there was a sense of renewed optimism. The emirate was rebuilding momentum – the Dubai Metro had begun operating in late 2009, with Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building by far, completed the previous year.
Millionaire hotspot
Dubai's population has experienced its most noticeable growth since the pandemic, with the emirate increasingly being considered a haven for global millionaires.
Strong demand has come from the UK, India, Russia, South-East Asia and Africa.
The emirate is seeing a particular surge in people from the UK, which is set to lose 16,500 millionaires this year. This is the largest net outflow of high-net-worth individuals by any country in the past 10 years.
According to some estimates, 30,000 British people moved to Dubai in 2021, rising to 35,000 in 2022 and 40,000 in 2023. About 240,000 Britons now call the emirate home.
This is on top of a large number of Russians and Ukrainians who also set down roots in Dubai after the outbreak of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The number of millionaires living in Dubai has doubled in the past decade, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing wealth hubs, a report by New World Wealth for Henley & Partners found in April.
In 2024, Dubai had an estimated 81,200 millionaires, 237 centimillionaires – whose wealth is in the hundreds of millions – and 20 billionaires, according to the report. That compares to 72,500 millionaires, 212 centimillionaires and 15 billionaires in 2023.
How is population growth changing Dubai?
One of the key changes is that people are staying in the emirate longer than before. Hitesh Vachhani, team lead of commercial at Santa Fe Relocation in Dubai, told The National there was a time when people moved with their families, stayed for a set period and then went home. But this is now less common, making life in Dubai less transient, he added.
“People don't want to leave,” he said. “Because going back is the last resort.”
Road safety experts also point out that the surging population has had an effect on traffic. “More people means more vehicles, which means more traffic, which means more congestion,” said Thomas Edelmann, founder and managing director of RoadSafetyUAE.
Changing with the times
That said, the Dubai of 2011 looks positively sleepy when compared with today. One measure is the number of public transport trips, which had reached 289 million by 2010 but last year exceeded 747 million. The Metro is also expanding, with construction of the new Blue Line beginning in 2023 and expected to be completed within four years.
One of the biggest changes of the past 15 years is the Dubai Canal, opened in 2018 and completing a loop which begins in Dubai Creek and emerges more than 3km away at Jumeirah’s Safa Park.
An astonishing feat of civil engineering, the canal was built under the 16 lanes of the E11 motorway through the middle of the city without disrupting traffic flow.
Other landmarks include the Museum of the Future, opened in 2022, and the Dubai Frame, completed in 2018. The opportunities for shopping, surely Dubai’s favourite leisure activity, have also vastly expanded in the past 15 years.
Dubai Mall, which opened in the teeth of the recession, now attracts more than 84 million visitors a year – more than New York – with plans to expand ever further, Mall of the Emirates has also been extended, while new outlets include Nakheel Mall, opened on Palm Jumeirah in 2020, and City Walk, a high-fashion outlet completed in 2016.
Looking up
To understand just how much Dubai has grown since 2011, you need to look to the skies. Dubai International Airport became the world’s busiest for international traffic in 2016. But also, by looking at the city from the bird's eye view provided by Google Earth, you can visualise just how much the city has mushroomed, pushing ever deeper into what was once desert, with new suburbs and housing developments, particularly to the north and east, where many of the two million new inhabitants have made their homes.
What of the future, though? One indication is the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, created in 2020 with the goal of making Dubai “the world's best city to work and live”. The year 2040 is when the population is projected to hit almost six million – on a par with the likes of Dallas, Singapore and Madrid.
As outlined by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the emphasis on the future Dubai will be on sustainability and ensuring people will find virtually everything they need for daily life within a short distance – a 20-minute city.
In that sense, even as Dubai grows ever larger, it will also become smaller.
Burj Khalifa through the years
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
ATP WORLD No 1
2004 Roger Federer
2005 Roger Federer
2006 Roger Federer
2007 Roger Federer
2008 Rafael Nadal
2009 Roger Federer
2010 Rafael Nadal
2011 Novak Djokovic
2012 Novak Djokovic
2013 Rafael Nadal
2014 Novak Djokovic
2015 Novak Djokovic
2016 Andy Murray
2017 Rafael Nadal
2018 Novak Djokovic
2019 Rafael Nadal
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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The Specs:
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Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 444bhp
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
CHINESE GRAND PRIX STARTING GRID
1st row
Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
4th row
Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
Sergio Perez (Force India)
5th row
Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
6th row
Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
Esteban Ocon (Force India)
7th row
Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
8th row
Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
9th row
Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
Lance Stroll (Williams)
10th row
Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
arcus Ericsson (Sauber)
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
