United Arab Emirates
Top Sights & Landmarks
Background
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th-century treaties. In 1971, six of these states -- Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn -- merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ra's al Khaymah joined in 1972. The UAE's per-capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. In 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE did not experience the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East in 2010-11, partly because of the government's multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates, and its aggressive pursuit of advocates for political reform. The UAE in recent years has played a growing role in regional affairs. In addition to donating billions of dollars in economic aid to help stabilize Egypt, the UAE was one of the first countries to join the Defeat ISIS coalition, and to participate as a key partner in a Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen. In 2020, the UAE and Bahrain signed a peace agreement (the Abraham Accords) with Israel -- brokered by the US -- in Washington, D.C. The UAE and Bahrain thus became the third and fourth Middle Eastern countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, to recognize Israel.
Location
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Area
Elevation
Detailed Geography Information
Coastline
1,318 km
Geography - note
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a transit point for crude oil; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) together account for over 90% of UAE's area and two-thirds of the population
Irrigated land
940 sq km (2022)
Land boundaries
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Natural hazards
frequent sand and dust storms
Natural resources
Terrain
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert; mountains in east
Population & Growth
Age Distribution
Demographic Longevity
Vital Dynamics
Detailed People & Society Information
Alcohol consumption per capita
2.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
67.4% (2018 est.)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 23.4 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 20.4 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 3 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 33.4 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
3.9% of GDP (2021 est.) 14.8% national budget (2021 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
0.78 (2025 est.)
Health expenditure
5.3% of GDP (2021) 12.1% of national budget (2022 est.)
Hospital bed density
2 beds/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 5.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Literacy
total population: 98.8% (2024 est.) male: 99% (2024 est.) female: 98.4% (2024 est.)
Major urban areas - population
3.008 million Dubai, 1.831 million Sharjah, 1.567 million ABU DHABI (capital) (2023)
Maternal mortality ratio
3 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Nationality
noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
31.7% (2016)
Physician density
2.99 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Population distribution
population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates -- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah -- are home to nearly 85% of the population
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Religions
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 16 years (2023 est.) male: 15 years (2023 est.) female: 16 years (2023 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.47 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 3.25 male(s)/female total population: 2.13 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Tobacco use
total: 10.7% (2025 est.) male: 13.9% (2025 est.) female: 2.4% (2025 est.)
Climate & Issues
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Land Cover
Air & Carbon Emissions
Water Resources & Use
Detailed Environmental Information
International environmental agreements
Urbanization
urban population: 87.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.5% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 5.618 million tons (2024 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 24.5% (2022 est.)
Capital & State Profile
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
National Identity & Symbols
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black, with a wider vertical red band on the left side
Detailed Government Information
Administrative divisions
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Citizenship
citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of the United Arab Emirates; if the father is unknown, the mother must be a citizen dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 30 years
Constitution
history: previous 1971 (provisional); latest drafted in 1979, became permanent May 1996 amendment process: proposed by the Supreme Council and submitted to the Federal National Council; passage requires at least a two-thirds majority vote of Federal National Council members present and approval of the Supreme Council president
Country name
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE etymology: self-descriptive country name; the name Arabia can be traced back at least as far as the ancient Egyptians, who referred to the region as "Ar Rabi;" "emirates" derives from amir, the Arabic word for "commander," "lord," or "prince;" the former name, Trucial States, refers to a maritime truce from 1820 between the British and the Arab sheikhdoms
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): Federal Supreme Court (consists of the court president and 4 judges; jurisdiction limited to federal cases) judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the federal president after approval from the Federal Supreme Council, the highest executive and legislative authority consisting of the 7 emirate rulers; judges serve until retirement age or the expiration of their appointment terms subordinate courts: Federal Court of Cassation (determines the constitutionality of laws); the emirates of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Ra's al Khaymah have parallel court systems; the other 4 emirates have incorporated their courts into the federal system note: the Abu Dhabi Global Market Courts and the Dubai International Financial Center Courts, the country’s two largest financial free zones, adjudicate civil and commercial disputes
Legal system
mixed system of Islamic (sharia) law and civil law
National heritage
total World Heritage Sites: 2 ( both cultural) selected World Heritage Site locales: Cultural Sites of Al Ain (Hafit, Hili, Bidaa Bint Saud, and Oases Areas); Faya Palaeolandscape (c)
Political parties
note: political parties are banned; all candidates run as independents
Suffrage
limited note: rulers of the seven emirates each select a proportion of voters for the Federal National Council (FNC) that accounts for about 12 percent of Emirati citizens
Economic Overview
high-income, oil-driven Middle Eastern economy; fastest GDP growth of Gulf states; diversification through tourism, construction, and services; strong foreign direct investment orientation; continued government investment and business-friendly reforms
Size & Performance
GDP Sector Breakdown
Trade Balance
Budget Balance
Export Profile
Top Export Partners
Major Export Commodities
Labor & Employment
Income Inequality
Family Income / Consumption Share
Detailed Economic Data
Agricultural products
Exchange rates
Emirati dirhams (AED) per US dollar - Exchange rates: 3.672 (2024 est.) 3.672 (2023 est.) 3.672 (2022 est.) 3.672 (2021 est.) 3.672 (2020 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use
Industrial production growth rate
0.8% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
1.7% (2024 est.) 1.6% (2023 est.) 5.3% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Public debt
19.7% of GDP (2017 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$237.931 billion (2024 est.) $189.491 billion (2023 est.) $138.433 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Taxes and other revenues
0.6% (of GDP) (2023 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Grid Infrastructure
Generation Mix
Fossil Fuels Production
Intensity & Nuclear
Digital Access
Active internet users as a percentage of the total population.
Fixed Broadband
Mobile Cellular
Broadcast Media
Aviation
Ports & Harbors
Merchant Marine
Military Expenditures
Active Duty Strengths
approximately 65,000 active Armed Forces (45,000 Land Forces; 3,000 Navy; 5,000 Air Force; 12,000 Presidential Guard) (2025)
Service & Defense Details
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: Land Forces (Army), Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard (includes special operations forces), National Guard (includes Coast Guard) (2025) note: each emirate maintains a local police force called a general directorate, which is officially a branch of the federal Ministry of Interior; all emirate-level general directorates of police enforce their respective emirate’s laws autonomously; they also enforce federal laws within their emirate in coordination with one another under the federal ministry; the State Security Directorate (SSD) in Abu Dhabi and Dubai State Security (DSS) have primary responsibility for counterterrorism law enforcement efforts; local, emirate-level police forces, especially the Abu Dhabi Police and Dubai Police, are the first responders in such cases and provide technical assistance to SSD and DSS
maintains a few hundred troops in Somalia and Yemen (2025)
the military is equipped with mostly modern imported armaments, and a smaller amount of domestically produced weapons; foreign suppliers have included China, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Türkiye, and the US; the UAE's domestic defense industry produces or co-produces such items as armored vehicles, naval vessels, precision munitions, and unmanned aerial vehicles/drones for both internal use and export (2025)
the UAE Armed Forces (UAEAF) are responsible for defending the state, its resources, and territory, preserving internal security, and supporting the UAE's foreign policy objectives; key security concerns include regional stability and cross-border threats, such as piracy and terrorism; in recent years, the UAE has undertaken a military modernization program to go along with an assertive security policy which has included military involvements in Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen the UAE has close security ties to France and the US; it hosts a multi-service French military base, which includes the French naval command for the Indian Ocean (ALINDIEN); the UAE has a defense cooperation agreement with the US and hosts thousands of US military troops, mostly air and naval personnel; it also has defense ties with a number of other countries, including Australia, China, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Malaysia, South Korea, and the UK, as well as NATO and fellow members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, particularly Saudi Arabia the UAEAF traces its origins to the establishment of the Trucial Oman Scouts in 1951, a joint UK-Abu Dhabi organization modeled after Jordan’s Arab Legion, which became the Abu Dhabi Defense Force in 1965; the modern UAEAF were formed in 1976 (2025)
18-40 for voluntary service; 18-30 years of age for compulsory national service for men with a 36-month service obligation for those without a secondary education and 11 months for secondary school graduates; women may volunteer for national service (11-month service obligation regardless of education) (2025) note 1: compulsory service may be completed in the uniformed military, the Ministry of Interior, or other security institutions designated by the military leadership note 2: the UAE military employs a considerable number of foreign personnel on contracted service
Space Agency
UAE Space Agency (created in 2014); Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC; established 2006) (2025)