Data note: FOUAE (Founders of UAE) based these Dubai population figures on Dubai Digital releases and reporting up to 29 September 2026. Live figures change daily.
The Dubai population passed 4.8 million in late September 2026, Gulf News reported, citing the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment. That is about 227,000 more residents than at the end of 2025. Last year the emirate grew by about 332,000 people, or 7.5 per cent, according to Dubai Digital.
In short
- Dubai had 4,807,185 residents in late September 2026, up 226,885 since January, Gulf News reported.
- Growth in 2025 reached 7.5 per cent, among the fastest rates in the emirate’s history.
- Dubai Digital says its new figures reflect updated methods, so on FOUAE’s reading old and new numbers don’t compare.
What is the Dubai population in 2026?
The live count stood at 4,807,185 by midday on Monday, Gulf News reported on 29 September 2026, so FOUAE takes the reading as 28 September. It credited the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, part of Digital Dubai. By comparison, the year began at 4,580,300.
Dubai also publishes a real-time Population Clock, according to Dubai Digital. As a result, any number you read is a snapshot. For example, Khaleej Times reported a count of 4,741,335 on 30 July 2026. So the city added about 66,000 people between the two readings.
The official year-end figure, however, is steadier. Dubai’s population reached 4.58 million at the end of 2025, Dubai Digital said on 30 July 2026.
How fast is the Dubai population growing?
Very fast by any standard. In fact, Dubai added about 332,000 residents in 2025, a rise of 7.5 per cent, according to Dubai Digital. Khaleej Times noted in July 2026 that the record annual rate, 8.2 per cent, dates from the 1980 census.
Growth has also continued into 2026. However, the pace has varied through the year, as the clock readings show.
The FOUAE calculation: the daily pace
All the figures below come from the new Dubai Population Now series, so they compare like with like. In addition, FOUAE counts calendar days from 1 January.
In 2025, about 332,000 new residents over 365 days works out to roughly 910 a day. Next, measured from the 4,580,300 year-end base, the count rose by 161,035 over 211 days to 30 July, or about 763 a day. Khaleej Times, using 4.58 million, put the rise at 161,335. Then, between 30 July and 28 September, the count rose by 65,850 over 60 days, or about 1,100 a day.
On FOUAE’s arithmetic, then, the pace slowed in the first seven months of 2026 and then picked up sharply. Across the whole period to 28 September, the average was about 837 a day, below 2025’s rate. On FOUAE’s reading, the late-summer jump may partly reflect seasonal returns, although the data does not say why.
Why two Dubai population numbers exist
Older articles often quote lower figures. Dubai Digital says its new numbers reflect updated methods and measurement tools. In September 2025, Gulf News reported a count of about 4 million, citing the Dubai Statistics Center. It put the end-2024 population at 3.86 million.
By contrast, Khaleej Times reported in July 2026 that the new system puts end-2024 at about 4.248 million. That is roughly 390,000 higher for the same date. On FOUAE’s reading, most of the gap comes from that change in method, not from people arriving overnight.
The new system, called Dubai Population Now, removes the need for traditional census operations, according to Dubai Digital. It draws on records from residency, transport, utility and health bodies, including the RTA, DEWA and the Dubai Health Authority. “Data is no longer merely a statistical output; it has become national infrastructure and a strategic asset,” said Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Dubai Digital.
Therefore, on FOUAE’s reading, figures are safest compared within one series. Mixing an old estimate with a new reading would overstate growth.
Who lives in Dubai?
First, men make up most of the population. In 2025, men were 68.5 per cent of residents and women 31.5 per cent, Gulf News reported in September 2026. Similarly, the largest age group was 30 to 34, at 15.45 per cent, according to Khaleej Times.
The city also swells by day, however. Dubai’s average daytime population at peak hours reached 6.392 million in 2025, Dubai Digital said. That figure includes more than 1.812 million people present temporarily, mostly for work or tourism.
What is driving the growth?
Work is the main engine, on the official reading. Younus Al Nasser, chief executive of the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, said population growth “reflects the expansion of the labour market”.
The age profile supports that view. On FOUAE’s reading, a city whose largest age group is 30 to 34 draws people of working age. Meanwhile, Khaleej Times noted that the figures counter claims, circulated during the regional conflict, that residents were leaving. For the jobs side, see FOUAE’s look at the UAE job market.
Policy plays a part too, although the clock does not measure it directly. On FOUAE’s reading, long-term residence routes such as the UAE Golden Visa make it easier for people to stay.
Where does growth put pressure?
On FOUAE’s reading, housing, roads and schools feel it first. For context, the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan expected 5.8 million residents by 2040, up from 3.3 million in 2020. The Dubai Media Office reported those figures at the plan’s launch in March 2021. It also projected a daytime population of 7.8 million by 2040.
On FOUAE’s arithmetic, the late-September count is about 1 million short of 5.8 million. At 2025’s pace of about 332,000 a year, it would close that gap in roughly three years. However, the plan’s 3.3 million baseline used the older method, so this is a signal of pressure rather than a forecast.
Meanwhile, supply is the other half of the story. FOUAE examined the rental side in its piece on whether Dubai rents are falling in 2026.
Verdict: Dubai population growth is outpacing its 2040 assumptions
The Dubai population grew by 7.5 per cent in 2025 and kept rising through 2026, passing 4.8 million by late September. The pace slowed early in the year and then picked up after summer. Two cautions matter. First, on FOUAE’s reading, the updated method makes old and new figures hard to compare. Second, the count already sits within about 1 million of a figure set for 2040.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dubai had 4,807,185 residents in late September 2026, Gulf News reported, citing the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment. The official end-2025 figure is 4.58 million, according to Dubai Digital.
Dubai moved to a real-time, register-based system called Dubai Population Now, which uses government records. Dubai Digital says the figures reflect updated methods. On FOUAE’s reading, that is why they run higher than older Dubai Statistics Center estimates.
Dubai’s average daytime population at peak hours was 6.392 million in 2025, Dubai Digital said. That includes more than 1.812 million people present temporarily, mostly for work or tourism.
Sources
Dubai Digital published the end-2025 figure and its new method on 30 July 2026. Gulf News reported the late-September count on 29 September 2026. It also published the older Dubai Statistics Center figures in September 2025.
Khaleej Times reported the 30 July 2026 count and the revised end-2024 figure. The Dubai Media Office announced the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan in March 2021.
Founders of UAE (FOUAE) is an independent, digital-first business publication covering the founders, companies and economy of the United Arab Emirates. Follow FOUAE on Instagram and LinkedIn.
