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Location of United Arab Emirates on the globe

United Arab Emirates

AE

Western Asia

United Arab Emirates is home to 2 documented ethnic groups in Western Asia — led by Non Emirati Foreign (~89%), Emirati Arab (~12%). This page blends their phenotype and demographic data into one weighted reference: skin tone, facial features, hair texture and build, drawn from published census and ancestry sources.

Demographic Composition

Composition weights are derived from self-identification in published census and demographic surveys. Each row links to the source ethnic-group atlas page.

Ethnic groupWeightSource
Non Emirati ForeignNon Emirati Foreign88.5%UAE 2024 estimates; non-Emirati foreign workers and residents (~88.5%, ~8.9M+); predominantly migrant-worker populations from India (~3.5M+, the largest single foreign community), Bangladesh (~1M+), Pakistan (~1.3M+), the Philippines (~700,000+), Egypt, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran, plus Western expatriate communities (predominantly British, US, Canadian, Australian, German, French expatriates engaged in the financial, oil-and-gas, education, and broader professional sectors)
Emirati ArabEmirati Arab11.5%Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre UAE 2024 estimates; Emirati citizens (~11.5%, ~1.1M+ of ~10M total). Predominantly Sunni Muslim. The UAE citizen population is among the smallest citizen-population shares globally — UAE citizens are a demographic minority in their own country

United Arab Emirates Phenotype Profile

The UAE has the lowest citizen-population share of any major country globally — Emirati citizens comprise only ~11.5% of the resident population. The substantial non-citizen foreign-worker population (~88.5%) is predominantly South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) plus Filipino plus Western expatriate sub-populations. Adult Emirati male mean stature approximately 168-172 cm.

A descriptive view, not a claim about individuals

This page shows a weighted aggregate of phenotype observations across the United Arab Emirates population, based on demographic composition from published census and ancestry sources. Phenotypes within any country are far more varied than the aggregate suggests; this is a descriptive reference, not a deterministic claim about any individual. For source-level detail on individual ethnic groups, see the constituent atlas pages linked below.

Methodology Notes

Composition weights derived from Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre UAE 2024 estimates. The substantial post-1971 oil-economy-driven foreign-worker population has produced one of the most demographically distinctive citizen-vs-resident structures globally.

See full project methodology →

Primary Sources

  1. 1.Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre UAE. UAE Population Statistics 2024. Abu Dhabi: FCSC; 2024.
  2. 2.Davidson CM. The United Arab Emirates: A Study in Survival. Lynne Rienner; 2005.
  3. 3.Heard-Bey F. From Trucial States to United Arab Emirates (rev ed). Motivate; 2004.
  4. 4.Vora N. Impossible Citizens: Dubai's Indian Diaspora. Duke University Press; 2013.
  5. 5.Ali S. Going and Coming and Going Again: Second-Generation Migrants in Dubai. Mobilities. 2011;6(4):553-568.

Other countries in Western Asia

Aggregate phenotype references for neighbouring Western Asia nations, weighted by demographic composition.

Browse all Western Asiaethnic groups & countries →