# United Arab Emirates — key facts

Source: GeoReality (https://geo-reality.com) — verified country data, regenerated 2026-09-01.
When citing a figure, attribute both GeoReality and the primary source in the third column.

- Capital: Abu Dhabi
- Region: Asia · Western Asia
- Full profile: https://geo-reality.com/country/ae
- Methodology and source URLs: https://geo-reality.com/data-sources

| Fact | Value | Primary source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 11,513,149 | World Bank SP.POP.TOTL |
| Area | 71,020 km² | World Bank AG.LND.TOTL.K2 |
| GDP per capita (nominal) | 50,274 USD | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.CD |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | 79,344 intl $ | World Bank NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD |
| GDP (total) | 552.3 bn USD | World Bank NY.GDP.MKTP.CD |
| Human Development Index | 0.94 | UNDP Human Development Report (2022) |
| Global Peace Index (lower = more peaceful) | 1.93 | IEP Global Peace Index (2024) |
| Life satisfaction (Cantril ladder, 0-10) | 6.82 | World Happiness Report — Data for Figure 2.1, life evaluation (Cantril ladder) (2026) |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83.1 years | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Fertility rate | 1.21 births/woman | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Unemployment | 2.2% | World Bank SL.UEM.TOTL.ZS |
| Inflation (CPI, annual) | 1.3% | World Bank FP.CPI.TOTL.ZG |
| Cost of living index (NYC = 100) | 55.2 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Safety index (Numbeo) | 86 | Numbeo (2026) |
| Median fixed broadband | 398.42 Mbps | Ookla Speedtest Global Index (2025) |
| Internet users | 100% of population | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 86% | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Renewable share of energy | 1% | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Forest area | 4.5% of land | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |
| CO2 emissions per capita | 18.26 t/yr | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Corporate tax rate | 0% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (corporate column, headline statutory rate) (2024) |
| VAT / GST standard rate | 5% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (VAT/GST/Sales column, standard-rate preferred) (2024) |
| Top personal income tax | 0% | Wikipedia — List of countries by tax rates (Individual income / Highest column) (2024) |

## Two decades of change

| Indicator | First → last observed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy at birth | 80.78 (2005) → 83.07 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.LE00.IN |
| Internet users | 52 (2006) → 100 (2024) | World Bank IT.NET.USER.ZS |
| Urban population | 82.56 (2006) → 85.96 (2025) | World Bank SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS |
| Births per woman | 2.23 (2005) → 1.21 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.TFRT.IN |
| Renewable share of energy | 0.1 (2004) → 1 (2021) | World Bank EG.FEC.RNEW.ZS |
| Access to electricity | 100 (2005) → 100 (2024) | World Bank EG.ELC.ACCS.ZS |
| Infant mortality | 7.7 (2005) → 3.8 (2024) | World Bank SP.DYN.IMRT.IN |
| CO2 emissions per person | 26.25 (2005) → 18.26 (2024) | World Bank EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5 |
| Forest area | 4.4 (2004) → 4.47 (2023) | World Bank AG.LND.FRST.ZS |

Context across all countries: https://geo-reality.com/changed

## Human Development Index, 1990–2022

Source: UNDP Human Development Report, composite indices complete time series (2023-24). Annual values as published, none interpolated.

| Year | HDI |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.717 |
| 1991 | 0.729 |
| 1992 | 0.734 |
| 1993 | 0.743 |
| 1994 | 0.750 |
| 1995 | 0.756 |
| 1996 | 0.762 |
| 1997 | 0.768 |
| 1998 | 0.774 |
| 1999 | 0.781 |
| 2000 | 0.790 |
| 2001 | 0.794 |
| 2002 | 0.798 |
| 2003 | 0.807 |
| 2004 | 0.811 |
| 2005 | 0.815 |
| 2006 | 0.820 |
| 2007 | 0.825 |
| 2008 | 0.827 |
| 2009 | 0.825 |
| 2010 | 0.828 |
| 2011 | 0.835 |
| 2012 | 0.841 |
| 2013 | 0.847 |
| 2014 | 0.853 |
| 2015 | 0.860 |
| 2016 | 0.866 |
| 2017 | 0.898 |
| 2018 | 0.917 |
| 2019 | 0.933 |
| 2020 | 0.930 |
| 2021 | 0.931 |
| 2022 | 0.937 |

Chart: https://geo-reality.com/country/ae#hdi-history

Vintages marked "varies" are the most recent value the source publishes per country; the profile page states the exact year per figure.