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POPULATION & ECONOMY GROWTH

The Emirate of Abu Dhabis population has been growing at a phenomenal
rate, from 58,000 in 1952 to an estimated 1.72 million in 2009. Furthermore,
anticipated growth would leave the city of Abu Dhabi, whose population was
22,000 in 1968, at over 3 million in 2030. Incredible growth was also seen in all
of the other emirates, including Dubai and Sharjah, whose 1968 populations
were 59,000 and 31,500, respectively.
Experts predict that the teenage and mid-life population sector will dominate
by 2030, while life expectancy will surpass eighty by 2050, resulting in a
rapid growth in the number of retirees. As the population prole shifts in this
manner, areas of growth and demands of public services change signicantly.
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has also continued to become more ethnically
diverse, with Emirati nationals, known as al Muwateneen, accounting for only
about twenty per cent of the population. Before 1970, the Emirates small
population lacked most of the technical skills needed for a modern society. The
commercial production of oil triggered rapid population growth that resulted
in improved living conditions for the national population and the large-scale
inux of mostly male expatriate labourers. This has created an imbalanced
population composition in favour of males. About half of the expatriates in
the Emirate are South Asian, whereas the remainder are mainly from other
countries in the Gulf, East Asia and western English-speaking countries.
Oil resources have enabled massive modernisation in the UAE. Small coastal
towns have been transformed into commercial capitals integrated into the
global economy. Because of the harsh desert interior and massive inows of
expatriates, eighty per cent of the population lives in the modern coastal cities
of the Emirates, which have become highly dynamic and culturally diverse.
Population Breakdown
The last census for Abu Dhabi in 2005 highlighted a
rapidly growing and diversifying population in the
Emirate. Abu Dhabi is a favoured regional
destination for expatriate workers, the majority of
whom come for temporary and nancial reasons.
They include thousands of labourers working in the
construction sector, skilled white collar
professionals and several other prominent groups.
The resulting diversication of Abu Dhabis
population has been dramatic especially in the
years corresponding with rapid economic growth.
Improvements in health care, education and
living standards from the 1970s onwards fuelled a
population explosion. Today, the Emirati population
of Abu Dhabi is typied by a disproportionately
high percentage of young people who will have
high expectations in terms of their quality of life
and tend to exert higher demands on social as well
as environmental resources. In fact, the age group
between 10 and 29 years for the UAE represented
over 45% of the total population in 2005 and may
have increased in subsequent years. Instilling
environmental awareness amongst these young
people is essential to preserving the Emirates
unique environmental inheritance.
Economy Fuelling Population Growth
Parallel to the growth and
diversication of the Emirates
population, recent decades have
witnessed a similar trend within
the economy. The wisdom behind
this deliberate strategy is captured
within the simple proverb: dont
keep all your eggs in one basket.
Economic growth, diversication
and sustainability are strongly
interlinked and essential in a
globalised, highly competitive
and fast-changing world.
Abu Dhabis per capita Gross Domestic Product is among the
highest in the world, comparing favourably with other economies
in the region. In 2008 the Emirate obtained over 60% of its GDP
fromoil and gas, a sector whose share has expanded in recent
years due to increasing worldwide energy demand. However,
for decades, Abu Dhabi has invested in the transition from
dependence on the nite commodity of oil and gas to an
economy that is well diversied and sustainable. Because
of these investments, the Emirates non-oil economy has
grown substantially over the last 20 years.
Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030
The Emirate of Abu Dhabi has adopted an
innovative and pragmatic approach to
economic diversication by making haste
slowly. Many diversication initiatives and
investments have been under way for some
time and can be readily funded fromcurrent
oil revenues even during global economic
slowdowns or recessions. The Emirate has
the largest sovereign wealth fund in the
world and its present and future citizens will
not only inherit a diversied economy but
also leading-edge assets and opportunities
to pursue creative, knowledge-based
activities. This will build the essential
intangible wealth of human resources
through investments in education and
health, which are elements of the social
infrastructure that allow people to work
together more productively.
Abu Dhabi, through its Economic Vision
2030, plans to enhance the combination
of human, physical and nancial
capital to generate the productivity and
competitiveness it needs to drive economic
growth forward. With these elements in
harmony, the twin targets of economic
development and stability will be met.
Diversifying Towards Sustainability
Sustainability remains the cornerstone of
economic diversication in Abu Dhabi,
which now has many strategic plans for
future development. This has minimised
the risks and volatility associated with a
hydrocarbon-dominated economy. Perhaps
more importantly, it will endow future
generations with the assets, expertise and
skills to adapt to a dynamic world while
making steady progress towards a
sustainable economy that values and
protects both the environment and human
well being.
Investing in Diversication
Long-term economic transition began
in the mid-1970s when the rst
downstream oil and gas industries
were initiated, including oil reneries
and gas liquefaction, followed by a
petrochemical industry. Subsequently,
the energy sector has further diversied
into products such as plastics,
lubricants, fertilisers, chemicals and
services including construction, port
operations and specialised vessels,
storage and distribution. Beyond the
energy sector, recent initiatives include
the development of steel and alumi-
nium industries as well as manufa-
cturing, such as vehicle assembly.
Pillars of Economic Vision
The Abu Dhabi government plans to
balance the revenue generated from
non-oil trade with new national
industries by 2028. Their aim is to
reduce unemployment among
citizens to 5%, effectively achieving
full employment, and to increase
GDP by more than 5 times by the
year 2030.
Balance Towards Sustainability
Abu Dhabis GDP Growth
Rate Between 20042007
60% OIL
40% OTHER
Average Annual
Population Increase of
Abu Dhabi Emirate from
1958 to 2009
Number of Schools in
Abu Dhabi Emirate (2007)
India
Pakistan
Bangladesh
Egypt
Jordan
Top Expatriate
Nationalities by Population
Top 20 Expatriate
Nationalities by Population
1 - 10 11- 20
The Emirate has the Largest
Sovereign Wealth Fund in the World
Sovereign
Wealth Fund
Social
Infrastructure
Environmental
Well-being
2007 Employment
Rate of Abu Dhabi
532
6.03%
80%
20%
28.7%
96.5%
5
3 million
1.7 million
Abu Dhabis
Rapid Growth
58,000
1952
2010
2030
Abu Dhabis Percentage
of UAEs Total Population
Demographic Distribution
GDP in the Emirate
of Abu Dhabi
at Current Prices
Expatriates
Expatriates
Emirati Nationals
32.8%
75 25 0
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
25
Billion
(AED)
75 125 175
Age
(Population in Thousands)
225
80+ Female Male
UAE Nationals
P
o
p
u
la
t
io
n
75-79
70-74
65-69
60-64
55-59
50-54
45-49
40-44
35-39
30-34
25-29
20-24
15-19
10-14
5-9
0-4
PHILIPPINES
INDONESIA
BANGLADESH
SRI LANKA
INDIA
NEPAL
PAKISTAN
OMAN
SOMALIA
YEMEN
ETHIOPIA SUDAN
IRAN
IRAQ
EGYPT
GAZA STRIP
JORDAN
LEBANON UNITED KINGDOM
SYRIA
2
0
0
2
2
0
0
3
2
0
0
4
2
0
0
5
2
0
0
6
2
0
0
7
25
25
0
75
75
125
225
0-4
5-9
10-14
15-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60-64
FEMALE
MALE
65-69
70-74
75-79
80+
For more information go to www.environmentalatlas.ae
Explore the Environmental Atlas of Abu Dhabi Emirate and discover the unique
and amazing environment of the Emirate.