Dubai population dropped by 8.4 percent in 2020, one of the steepest declines in the Gulf region, mainly due to the exodus of expatriate workers in the wake of the pandemic-induced economic distress. The drop in the Dubai compares with a four percent decline for the GCC countries, according to S&P estimates.
Gulf states rely heavily on foreign workers and efforts to nationalize the workforce to fight rising unemployment among nationals have accelerated in recent years. S&P said the overall GCC population is unlikely to return to 2019 levels of 57.6 million people until 2023. While the expat population declined during the pandemic, the population growth in the GCC countries has slowed down. TRENDS takes a look at population trends in these nations:
