Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 4.42 million people in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates, 1980–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates is 4.42 million people, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 90.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates peaked at 4.42 million people in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0 people, in 1980.
That places United Arab Emirates 59th out of 182 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0 people | — |
| 1985 | 0 people | — |
| 1990 | 0 people | — |
| 1995 | 0 people | — |
| 2000 | 1.30 million people | — |
| 2005 | 2.19 million people | +69.1% |
| 2010 | 2.32 million people | +5.7% |
| 2015 | 3.71 million people | +60.2% |
| 2020 | 4.42 million people | +19.1% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 4.42 million people is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.35 million people, 3.3× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 4.42 million people is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 4.23 million people, 1.0× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 2 |
| 1990s | 0 people | 0 people | 0 people | 2 |
| 2000s | 1.75 million people | 1.30 million people | 2.19 million people | 2 |
| 2010s | 3.02 million people | 2.32 million people | 3.71 million people | 2 |
| 2020s | 4.42 million people | 4.42 million people | 4.42 million people | 1 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
More reference data data for United Arab Emirates
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0407 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.4839 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0001 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.6291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.1364 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0486 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.53 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0008 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates?
- Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents in United Arab Emirates was 4.42 million people in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 4.42 million people in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 people in 1980.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 59th out of 182 countries with data for 2020.
- Is number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 90.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.