Gulf News

3 out of 4 residents in Dubai are male

- By Jumana Khamis Staff Reporter

Dubai’s population has shown a consistent growth of five per cent annually with three out of four residents being male and Muhaisnah being the most densely populated area.

The latest figures collected by the Dubai Statistics Centre also showed an estimated five per cent increase this year in its preliminar­y reports.

Increasing to 2.2 million people, the population is described as ‘ unbalanced’, with the ratio of men to women standing at 313 males per 100 females. The influx of a large number of expat workers over the last few years is the main reason for the large proportion of males in the emirate.

Figures reported by the centre also showed that over 20 per cent of the population lives in four communitie­s. Muhaisnah Two was found to be the most populated community, followed by Jebel Ali Industrial One, Al Quoz Industrial Two, and Karama.

The location of labour accommodat­ion in these areas was said to be themain reason for the high concentrat­ion of people.

As in previous years, Dubai’s population has consistent­ly grown by 5 per cent over the past year ( 2013). However, what might come as a surprise to many is that a little over three- quarters of Dubai’s population is male.

Statistics collected by the Dubai Statistic Centre show that 75.77 per cent of Dubai’s estimated population of 2.2 million are men, and 24.23 per cent are women.

Describing this as “unnatural” the centre’s report attributed the unbalanced structure to the large proportion of foreign workers living in Dubai — most of whom are workingage males who are not accompanie­d by their families.

While the ratio of men to women is 313 males per 100 females, Dubai’s rapid economic growth is a result of the large number of expatriate workers.

Statistics also show that two- thirds of the population is between the ages of 20- 39. Last year, the total number of men in that age group was almost 60 per cent more than that of females in the same age group.

Another major factor affecting the population is the estimated number of “active individual­s” during the day.

The term “active individual­s” includes those residing andworking in the emirate as well as the average number of tourists, sailors and the dynamic movement of people coming into and leaving Dubai during the day.

‘ Active individual­s’

The report states that the number of workers residing outside Dubai as well as temporary residents adds an additional million to the overall population.

The total number of active individual­s during the day is 3.2 million.

The increasing movement of people during the day is mainly due to the availabili­ty of investment opportunit­ies in the emirate.

The report showed that another main reason is the cheaper accommodat­ion in neighbouri­ng emirates, which prompts many to live outside Dubai but continue towork in the emirate.

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