The GCC countries are witnessing many developments in a number of sectors, especially in the population sector, which is growing significantly and leaving many contradictions in the Gulf society. According to the figures of the GCC Statistical Centre, in the month of July 2022, the total population of the GCC countries reached 57.3 million people, constituting 0.7 per cent of the total world population of 7.8 billion people at the time. The increase in the population of the GCC countries during the past three years was 1.3 million people.

The current population growth is accompanied by a gap in the demographic structure in favour of expatriates because of their annual increase which occupied the high percentage to reach today in some GCC countries to 90 per cent for expatriates compared to 10 per cent for GCC. Some studies in this regard indicate that the percentage of citizens constituted in previous decades was between 60 per cent to 90 per cent for nationals, but it declined to the current percentages in favour of expatriates who came to work here since the beginning of the seventies of the last century from various countries of the world, especially from the Asian continent.

It is expected that 90 per cent of the GCC population will live in cities by 2050, while all GCC countries seek to build more housing units to accommodate them over the next four decades. However, today there are thousands of young Gulf citizens on their way to work in various economic sectors adopted by the Gulf governments in order to reduce the number of expatriate workers and to adjust the current percentages in the total and percentages of the population. Data from Arthur D. Little, a management consulting firm, indicates that there is a new vision and approach to urban development in the Gulf countries, which will redefine the paths of economic development in the region during the next phase, which requires reconsidering traditional infrastructure planning and presenting a new perspective so that development becomes an incentive for sustainable growth led by local communities.

From this standpoint, the GCC countries are working to provide economic opportunities by pumping billions of dollars to focus on integrated community development, and presenting a new model for economic development that relies on the participation of local communities, youth, and taking into account the cultural orientations of the people of the GCC countries, unlike the previous traditional approach. The new comprehensive model is based on integrating sustainability and flexibility into urban transformation.

This development will undoubtedly create radical transformations that are not only related to building cities, but also to creating a vital economic system that grows from the heart of local communities. It is expected that urban growth will be rethought with the increase in the population of cities in the Middle East by 30 per cent, which will increase the demand for housing, infrastructure, and comprehensive development, with the possibility of building more vibrant and economically viable urban cities according to the plans that the Gulf governments are working to implement.

At the same time, the institutions sponsoring these projects are working to integrate and develop the workforce and support small and medium-sized enterprises and local participation within this framework so that each housing unit becomes more than just a place to live, but rather becomes an incentive for opportunities, education and long-term economic contribution.

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