Share of population urban in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Share of population urban was 85.96 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
85.96
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
54th
of 236 countries
All-time high
85.96
in 2025
All-time low
54.5
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in United Arab Emirates, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, share of population urban in United Arab Emirates stood at 85.96. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in United Arab Emirates peaked at 85.96 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 54.5, in 1950.
That places United Arab Emirates 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in United Arab Emirates, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 54.5 | — |
| 1951 | 56.97 | +4.5% |
| 1952 | 59.35 | +4.2% |
| 1953 | 61.61 | +3.8% |
| 1954 | 63.76 | +3.5% |
| 1955 | 65.78 | +3.2% |
| 1956 | 67.65 | +2.8% |
| 1957 | 69.37 | +2.5% |
| 1958 | 70.93 | +2.2% |
| 1959 | 72.31 | +1.9% |
| 1960 | 73.5 | +1.7% |
| 1961 | 74.54 | +1.4% |
| 1962 | 75.48 | +1.3% |
| 1963 | 76.32 | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 77.1 | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 77.82 | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 78.5 | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 79.15 | +0.8% |
| 1968 | 79.8 | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 80.49 | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 81.22 | +0.9% |
| 1971 | 81.96 | +0.9% |
| 1972 | 82.64 | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 83.23 | +0.7% |
| 1974 | 83.66 | +0.5% |
| 1975 | 83.9 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 83.87 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | 83.39 | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 82.62 | -0.9% |
| 1979 | 81.79 | -1.0% |
| 1980 | 81.1 | -0.8% |
| 1981 | 80.65 | -0.6% |
| 1982 | 80.3 | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 80 | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 79.73 | -0.3% |
| 1985 | 79.52 | -0.3% |
| 1986 | 79.34 | -0.2% |
| 1987 | 79.16 | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 78.99 | -0.2% |
| 1989 | 78.83 | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 78.69 | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 78.55 | -0.2% |
| 1992 | 78.44 | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 78.35 | -0.1% |
| 1994 | 78.29 | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 78.26 | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 78.27 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 78.38 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 78.6 | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 78.9 | +0.4% |
| 2000 | 79.29 | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 79.75 | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 80.27 | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 80.85 | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 81.47 | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 82.21 | +0.9% |
| 2006 | 82.56 | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 82.76 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 82.97 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 83.17 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 83.37 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 83.57 | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 83.76 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 83.96 | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 84.14 | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 84.33 | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 84.51 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 84.69 | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 84.86 | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 85.03 | +0.2% |
| 2020 | 85.2 | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 85.36 | +0.2% |
| 2022 | 85.51 | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 85.67 | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 85.82 | +0.2% |
| 2025 | 85.96 | +0.2% |
United Arab Emirates compared with similar countries
- United Arab Emirates's 85.96 is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.33, 1.1× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- United Arab Emirates's 85.96 is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 79.48, 1.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 64.22 | 54.5 | 72.31 | 10 |
| 1960s | 77.27 | 73.5 | 80.49 | 10 |
| 1970s | 82.83 | 81.22 | 83.9 | 10 |
| 1980s | 79.76 | 78.83 | 81.1 | 10 |
| 1990s | 78.47 | 78.26 | 78.9 | 10 |
| 2000s | 81.53 | 79.29 | 83.17 | 10 |
| 2010s | 84.22 | 83.37 | 85.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 85.59 | 85.2 | 85.96 | 6 |
Countries ranked near United Arab Emirates
- 51 Palestine 87.38 compare
- 52 Western Sahara 86.88 compare
- 53 French Guiana 86.62 compare
- 55 Switzerland 85.73 compare
- 56 Peru 85.6 compare
- 57 Saudi Arabia 84.61 compare
More population data for United Arab Emirates
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.9136 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.9136 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.4807 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 11,450 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.6462 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate 1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate 0.911 (2100)
- Population density 367.99 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 1.66 million (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population urban in United Arab Emirates?
- Share of population urban in United Arab Emirates was 85.96 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The highest recorded value was 85.96 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in United Arab Emirates?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.5 in 1950.
- How does United Arab Emirates rank for share of population urban?
- United Arab Emirates ranks 54th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in United Arab Emirates?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Arab Emirates data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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