Dubai’s population grew 7.5 percent to more than 4.58 million by the end of 2025, fuelled by economic expansion and an influx of workers, tourists and investors, as the emirate launched a real-time digital census to improve planning and public services.
The population reached 4.58 million at the end of 2025, an increase of about 332,000 people from a year earlier, according to Digital Dubai’s Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment.
Authorities said the average daytime population rises to 6.392 million after accounting for temporary arrivals for work, tourism, study and shopping.
The announcement coincided with the approval by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum of a real-time census and population growth monitoring project that replaces traditional census methods with continuously updated administrative records, smart systems and artificial intelligence.
The initiative integrates government records, big data, machine learning and real-time analytics to provide updated demographic information, helping authorities plan housing, healthcare, transport, education and other public services more efficiently.
Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director-General of Digital Dubai, said the project marked a strategic milestone in Dubai’s ambition to build a data- and artificial intelligence-driven government, describing data as a national asset supporting faster decision-making and future planning.
Younus Al Nasser, Chief Executive Officer of the Dubai Data and Statistics Establishment, said the “Dubai Population Now” initiative was designed not only to provide updated population figures but also to anticipate demographic shifts and support policy decisions.
He said the population increase reflected Dubai’s economic momentum after the emirate recorded real gross domestic product growth of 5.4 percent in 2025, welcomed 19.6 million international tourists and handled around 96 million passengers through its airports.
The daytime population includes more than 1.812 million temporary visitors, a key metric for planning transport infrastructure, utilities and public services, authorities said.
The project was developed through collaboration among several government entities, including the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism.
Dubai has shifted from conducting periodic censuses between 1975 and 2005 to a continuously updated population monitoring system.
The emirate’s population has increased from about 12,000 people in 1881 to more than 4.58 million, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing cities.
