United Arab Emirates: cities by population
United Arab Emirates has a population of 11,574,682 (UN estimate, 2026), with Abu Dhabi as its capital. The 50 largest of its 51 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+231%
since 2000 (3,493,575)
+33%
projected by 2050 (15,367,392)
163
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in United Arab Emirates
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai | Dubai | 3,790,000 |
| 2 | Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | 1,807,000 |
| 3 | Sharjah | Sharjah | 1,800,000 |
| 4 | Al Ain City | Abu Dhabi | 846,747 |
| 5 | Ajman | Ajman | 490,035 |
| 6 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 351,943 |
| 7 | Musaffah | Abu Dhabi | 243,341 |
| 8 | Jebel Ali | Dubai | 210,000 |
| 9 | Fujairah | Fujairah | 118,933 |
| 10 | Warīsān | Dubai | 108,759 |
| 11 | Khalifah A City | Abu Dhabi | 85,374 |
| 12 | Mohammed Bin Zayed City | Abu Dhabi | 85,000 |
| 13 | Reef Al Fujairah City | Fujairah | 82,310 |
| 14 | Bani Yas City | Abu Dhabi | 80,498 |
| 15 | Zayed City | Abu Dhabi | 63,482 |
| 16 | Al Shamkhah City | Abu Dhabi | 61,710 |
| 17 | Umm Al Quwain City | Umm Al Quwain | 59,098 |
| 18 | Al Sajaah | Sharjah | 53,079 |
| 19 | Lahbab | Dubai | 53,079 |
| 20 | Ţarīf Kalbā | Fujairah | 51,000 |
| 21 | Khawr Fakkān | Sharjah | 40,677 |
| 22 | Kalbā | Sharjah | 37,545 |
| 23 | Dibba Al-Fujairah | Fujairah | 30,000 |
| 24 | Dibba Al-Hisn | Fujairah | 26,395 |
| 25 | The Palm Jumeirah | Dubai | 25,500 |
| 26 | Ar Ruways | Abu Dhabi | 25,000 |
| 27 | Adh Dhayd | Sharjah | 20,165 |
| 28 | Halwan | Sharjah | 19,389 |
| 29 | Bur Dubai | Dubai | 18,698 |
| 30 | Ḩattā | Dubai | 15,324 |
| 31 | Masdar City | Abu Dhabi | 15,000 |
| 32 | Ar Rams | Ras Al Khaimah | 13,000 |
| 33 | Al Jazīrah al Ḩamrā’ | Ras Al Khaimah | 10,190 |
| 34 | Muzayri‘ | Abu Dhabi | 10,000 |
| 35 | Maşfūţ | Ajman | 8,988 |
| 36 | Al Madam | Sharjah | 8,652 |
| 37 | Dubai Motor City | Dubai | 8,561 |
| 38 | DAMAC Hills | Dubai | 8,000 |
| 39 | Al Manāmah | Ajman | 5,823 |
| 40 | Suwayḩān | Abu Dhabi | 5,403 |
| 41 | Sha'biyyat Milе̄hah | Sharjah | 4,768 |
| 42 | Abū Mūsá | 4,213 | |
| 43 | Al Ḩamrīyah | Sharjah | 3,297 |
| 44 | Al Raafah | Umm Al Quwain | 2,704 |
| 45 | Al Lusaylī | Dubai | 2,514 |
| 46 | Murbaḩ | Sharjah | 2,000 |
| 47 | Al Wiqan | Abu Dhabi | 2,000 |
| 48 | Ash Sha‘m | Ras Al Khaimah | 1,550 |
| 49 | Margham | Dubai | 1,280 |
| 50 | Al'Arad | Abu Dhabi | 1,000 |
Twenty years earlier: United Arab Emirates in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 3,750,054.
Common questions
What is the population of United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates has a population of 11,574,682, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 15,367,392 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of United Arab Emirates?
Abu Dhabi. The largest place we record there is Dubai, with 3,790,000 people.