Dubai

Dubai
دبي
Dubayy
Dubai's skyline
Burj Khalifa and Downtown
Dubai Creek
Dubai Marina
Palm Jumeirah and The World Islands
Sheikh Zayed Road
Nickname(s): 
DXB, Dar Al-Hay, The Pearl of the Gulf,[1] The Venice of the Gulf,[2] The City of the World,[2] The City of Gold[3]
Dubai
Location within the United Arab Emirates
Dubai
Dubai (Persian Gulf)
Dubai
Dubai (Middle East)
Dubai
Dubai (Asia)
Coordinates: 25°12′17″N 55°16′15″E / 25.20472°N 55.27083°E / 25.20472; 55.27083
Country United Arab Emirates
Emirate Dubai
First mentioned1095
First established1822
Founded byObeid bin Said & Maktoum bin Butti Al Maktoum
Government
 • TypeAbsolute monarchy
 • BodyDubai Executive Council
 • Director General of Dubai MunicipalityMarwan Bin Ghalita[4]
 • Ruler of DubaiMohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Area
 • City
544 km2 (210 sq mi)
 • Urban1,507 km2 (582 sq mi)
Population
 (2025)[7]
 • City
3,944,751
 • Density7,300/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
 • Urban4,945,000
 • Urban density3,300/km2 (8,500/sq mi)
 • Metro6,359,527
DemonymDubaian
GDP
 • CityUS$ 134.6 billion (2023)
 • MetroUS$ 202.8 billion (2023)
Time zoneUTC+04:00 (UAE Standard Time)
Websitetec.gov.ae/en/web/tec/home

Dubai[a] is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai.[10] It is located on a creek on the south-eastern coast of the Persian Gulf. As of 2025, the city population stands at 4 million,[7] 92% of whom are expatriates.[11] The wider urban area includes Sharjah and has a population of 5 million people as of 2023,[6] while the Dubai–Sharjah–Ajman metropolitan area counts 6 million inhabitants.

Founded in the early 18th century as a pearling and fishing settlement, Dubai became a regional trade hub in the 20th century after declaring itself a free port (1901) and extending the Creek (1961).[12] Modest oil revenue helped accelerate Dubai's development from the 1960s to the 1990s when the city started to diversify its economy.[12] In 2018, oil production contributed less than 1% to the emirate's GDP.[13]

Rapid construction since the 1990s has produced one of the world's densest skylines,[14] including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. Extensive land-reclamation projects have added more than 300 kilometres (190 mi) of artificial coastline. The city has a large real estate market, especially in the luxury segment.[15]

Dubai's economy centres on trade, tourism, aviation, financial services, and real estate.[12][16] The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) is one of the world's major financial centres. In 2024, Dubai was the seventh most-visited city globally.[17] Dubai International Airport (DXB) is the world’s busiest airport for international passenger traffic, handling over 92 million passengers in 2024.[18]

  1. ^ "إمارة دبي | البوابة الرسمية لحكومة الإمارات العربية المتحدة". u.ae.
  2. ^ a b "ستبقى دبي داراً للحي". www.albayan.ae.
  3. ^ "Dubai trying to live up to its nickname "City of Gold"". 5 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Director General". Dubai Municipality. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan | The Official Portal of the UAE Government". u.ae. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Demographia World Urban Areas 19th Annual: 202308" (PDF). Demographia. 31 August 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
  7. ^ a b c "Dubai Statistics Center, Population Clock". dsc.gov.ae. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  8. ^ "TelluBase—UAE Fact Sheet (Tellusant Public Service Series)" (PDF). Tellusant. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Population Bulletin" (PDF). Dubai Statistics Center, Government of Dubai. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  10. ^ "United Arab Emirates: metropolitan areas". World-gazetteer.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  11. ^ "How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate - OCCRP". How Dirty Money Finds a Home in Dubai Real Estate - OCCRP. 2024. Archived from the original on 16 May 2024. Retrieved 14 May 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Dubai - Trade, Tourism, Oil | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 23 May 2025. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  13. ^ Winkler, Matthew A. (14 January 2018). "Dubai's the Very Model of a Modern Mideast Economy". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 17 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Cities by Number of 150m+ Buildings - The Skyscraper Center". www.skyscrapercenter.com. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  15. ^ Dubai Luxury Property Boom Hit New Record Before Tariff Turmoil, Bloomberg, 22 May 2025
  16. ^ Digital, Traffic. "Dubai's GDP expands by 3.1% in the first nine months of 2024 to reach AED339.4 billion". Government of Dubai Media Office. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  17. ^ "Euromonitor International reveals world's Top 100 City…". Euromonitor. 4 December 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2025.
  18. ^ Kamel, Deena. "Dubai airport's passenger traffic hit record 92.3 million last year". The National. Retrieved 2 March 2025.


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