Dubai’s population has crossed 3.6 million, growing 1.43% year-to-date 2023, according to the Dubai Statistics Centre’s latest data.

The emirate’s population reached 3,600,879 as of June 26, 2023, compared to 3,550,186 on December 31, 2023.

The population rose by 2.3% to 3,575,962 as of March 31, 2023, compared to 3,496,097 as of March 31, 2022.

In 1975, Dubai’s population stood at only 183,187. According to the statistics center, it crossed the 3- million mark in 2018.

Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan, which includes expanding green spaces, parks and other recreational areas in the emirate, envisions the population to grow to 5.8 million by 2040.

The plan seeks to raise population density and increase the scale of development and investment to benefit from the existing infrastructure and services by providing 80% of the daily population’s needs within 20 minutes or less by walking, cycling or riding soft mobility means. 

 In November 2022, Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said that Dubai was targeting to become the top-ranked city to live in.

“We always aim to be number one at everything we do, and we will not stop until we achieve that number,” he told an international summit.

(Editing by Seban Scaria seban.scaria@lseg.com)