United Arab Emirates is a country in Western Asia. Its capital is Abu Dhabi.
Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Abu Dhabi; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapThe United Arab Emirates includes low Gulf coastal areas, extensive desert and a mountainous eastern region. The Hajar Mountains provide a sharp contrast to sandy plains and coastal flats. Much of the modern urban landscape follows the coast.
The Liwa region lies beside the large dunes of the Rub’ al Khali. In the east, rocky valleys and mountain slopes create very different scenery. Coastal environments include mangroves, tidal flats, islands and heavily developed waterfronts.
The climate is arid, with very hot summers and milder winters. Coastal humidity contrasts with the dry interior, and eastern mountains are cooler than the lowlands.
Natural fresh water is scarce, and rainfall is irregular. Oases and mountain catchments have historically supported settlement in selected places. Coastal habitats and desert ecosystems face different conditions despite their close proximity.
Three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black, with a wider vertical red band on the left side
Large dunes dominate this part of Abu Dhabi’s desert interior.
Photo: JSPhotography2016 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Rocky Hajar mountain terrain contrasts with the sandy desert farther west.
Photo: Original: Florian Kriechbaumer Derivative work: Aristeas · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Arabic is the official language. Emirati Arabic is used in everyday conversation, while Standard Arabic is used in formal writing and national institutions.
English is widely used across the multinational population. Hindi, Urdu, Malayalam, Bengali, Tagalog, Persian and other languages are also spoken. The country’s everyday language landscape is much broader than its single official-language designation.
The emirates had treaty relationships with Britain that placed defense and foreign affairs under British protection. Six emirates formed the United Arab Emirates in December 1971 as those arrangements ended. Ras Al Khaimah joined in 1972, completing the seven-emirate federation.
Oil and gas are important, especially in Abu Dhabi. Trade, aviation, logistics, tourism, finance, construction and other services diversify the federation’s economic activity.
petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement, fertilizer, commercial ship repair, construction materials, handicrafts, textiles
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 286,536 | 0.287 |
| 1980 | 1,015,700 | 1.016 |
| 1990 | 1,898,220 | 1.898 |
| 2000 | 3,493,575 | 3.494 |
| 2010 | 6,869,838 | 6.870 |
| 2020 | 9,401,038 | 9.401 |
| 2025 | 11,513,149 | 11.513 |
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Billions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 126,196,683,289 | 126.197 |
| 1991 | 127,282,106,423 | 127.282 |
| 1992 | 131,540,051,389 | 131.540 |
| 1993 | 133,198,900,253 | 133.199 |
| 1994 | 142,384,397,291 | 142.384 |
| 1995 | 151,906,594,919 | 151.907 |
| 1996 | 160,714,976,107 | 160.715 |
| 1997 | 173,877,954,757 | 173.878 |
| 1998 | 174,386,072,209 | 174.386 |
| 1999 | 179,446,849,174 | 179.447 |
| 2000 | 198,921,924,880 | 198.922 |
| 2001 | 201,704,686,676 | 201.705 |
| 2002 | 206,612,917,838 | 206.613 |
| 2003 | 224,796,049,037 | 224.796 |
| 2004 | 246,301,222,105 | 246.301 |
| 2005 | 258,259,482,837 | 258.259 |
| 2006 | 283,665,189,298 | 283.665 |
| 2007 | 292,698,259,936 | 292.698 |
| 2008 | 302,040,639,158 | 302.041 |
| 2009 | 286,204,884,319 | 286.205 |
| 2010 | 290,792,319,431 | 290.792 |
| 2011 | 310,381,577,991 | 310.382 |
| 2012 | 324,917,543,198 | 324.918 |
| 2013 | 340,898,452,024 | 340.898 |
| 2014 | 356,691,997,288 | 356.692 |
| 2015 | 381,973,135,513 | 381.973 |
| 2016 | 403,584,799,170 | 403.585 |
| 2017 | 399,301,266,567 | 399.301 |
| 2018 | 405,439,350,953 | 405.439 |
| 2019 | 410,593,665,765 | 410.594 |
| 2020 | 374,898,977,911 | 374.899 |
| 2021 | 391,967,383,830 | 391.967 |
| 2022 | 421,421,867,518 | 421.422 |
| 2023 | 439,547,797,218 | 439.548 |
| 2024 | 457,093,718,949 | 457.094 |
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Federation of monarchies. Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihadi) has one chamber (a unicameral legislature).
Three questions about United Arab Emirates.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.
