Moving to United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, unemployment is 2.2% (2025).
The United Arab Emirates recorded GDP per capita of US$50,274 in 2024 and life expectancy of 83.1 years. There were 2.992 doctors per 1,000 people in 2023.
Can I move to the United Arab Emirates?
Across 197 passports, 89 passports enter visa-free, 7 passports need an eVisa and 101 passports need a visa for United Arab Emirates. Check your passport below.
- Visa-free
- 89
- eVisa
- 7
- Visa required
- 101
Choose citizenship and purpose to see the relevant entry steps.
Entry.
Living & working.
Official requirements [2] · Visitor-entry rules
Residence rules and exceptions
| Citizenship / situation | Starting point |
|---|---|
| Other citizenship | Check work, study or family requirements.[37] |
| Existing status or family rights | A passport alone cannot establish your eligibility. Check the relevant authority’s guidance. |
These are national starting points, not an eligibility decision. Long-stay residence, work authorisation and in-country application rules differ by route; a visa-free visit never settles them. Check the route that matches your purpose and circumstances with the responsible authority.
Visa and entry rules
Sources checked through 6 Oct 2026.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates?
The national unemployment rate was about 2.2 % in 2025.
This is the World Bank / ILO modelled estimate series used as the canonical national answer. Other published definitions exist and are shown in the table below.
- National unemployment rate: 2.17 % · Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), 202524
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| National unemployment rate | 2.17 % | 31 Dec 2025 | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), 202524Official · national figure |
Public employment service in United Arab Emirates
Official job-search, registration, counselling and training routes. Private recruitment agencies are not included.
MOHRE employment services — Public employment service
A national service does not prove that an office exists in every city. City pages show an office only after an exact address is linked to that city. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Taxes in United Arab Emirates
National rates and comparable published scenarios. Personal tax depends on income, household and residence circumstances.
Benefits newcomers may qualify for in United Arab Emirates
Public schemes where an official source defines an eligible migration or residence status. Amounts and conditions are kept in their native terms.
| Programme | Published amount | Source and application |
|---|---|---|
Unemployment Insurance Scheme — Unemployment support | Percentage-based / Monthly | |
Eligibility and amount detailsMonthly compensation is 60% of the subscription salary; category 1 maximum is AED 10,000 per month and each claim lasts no more than 3 months. The Unemployment Insurance Scheme covers Emiratis and residents working in the federal and private sectors who become unemployed, subject to the source-defined insurance conditions. | ||
Admitted official schemes currently cover 1 of the 5 common support families for this country; the rest are not yet collected.
ImmigrationDB shows published rules; it does not decide personal eligibility. Confirm your status, contribution record and household circumstances with the responsible authority before applying. Sources checked through 11 Aug 2026.
Can migrants receive medical care in United Arab Emirates?
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in United Arab Emirates when the official insurance or residence conditions are met.
Language courses and integration in United Arab Emirates
Government programmes, public integration services and exact provider records. The section expands only from fields present in the source; missing prices, refunds or contacts are not replaced with estimates.
Arabic for Speakers of Other Languages Program — State Language Course
Zayed House for Islamic Culture
For people learning Arabic as a non-native language, UAE residents.
Arabic for Non-Arabic Speakers — State Language Course
University of Sharjah Language Institute
For expatriates in the UAE, foreign students, diplomats, University of Sharjah community.
Arabic Language Programs for Non-Native Speakers — State Language Course
United Arab Emirates University Arabic Language Programs Unit
For non-native Arabic speakers, teachers of Arabic to non-native speakers.
Huroof Arabic Language Courses — Municipal language course
Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD) / Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Islamic Culture
For Arabic language learners in Dubai.
Ras Al Khaimah Municipality Arabic Course for Non-Arabic Speakers — Municipal language course
Ras Al Khaimah Municipality
For non-Arabic speakers in Ras Al Khaimah.
All United Arab Emirates language courses and where they take place
Living and moving context for United Arab Emirates
A practical estimate placed average gross salary at €3,164 per month in April 2023.
United Arab Emirates cities by population
The largest published cities appear first. Population is taken from the reusable official city layer; hub labels come from the existing city taxonomy.
All published cities in United Arab Emirates (3)
3 of 3 shownSearch all cities
Reports with this country
Accepted report pages with a row for this country.
What different occupation groups earn in United Arab Emirates
We hold earnings rows for 10 occupation groups in United Arab Emirates, but their earnings basis is still being verified against the source: the recorded magnitudes are not plausible as the EUR/month means they are labelled as, so no figure is shown and none of these groups is presented as comparable yet.
Held occupation groups (figures withheld pending unit verification): Armed forces occupations, Managers, Professionals, Technicians and associate professionals, Clerical support workers, Service and sales workers, Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers, Craft and related trades workers, Plant and machine operators, and assemblers, Elementary occupations.
Source: ILO (ILOSTAT mean earnings by occupation (EAR_EMTA_SEX_OCU_CUR_NB)) · observed 2009 · checked 2026-07-30.
United Arab Emirates facts
Current source-backed observations, grouped the way the city pages are, with geographic scope and observation periods.
Population and profile
How many people live in United Arab Emirates?
The published population was 10,986,400 people in 2024. Source: World Bank27
National, resident population scope. Foreign-resident and migration-background figures are separate metrics in the table below.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 10,986,400 people | 31 Dec 2024 | World Bank27Official · national figure |
Legal, tax and other context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent deposit can be paid in instalments | 0 | 1 Jun 2026 | Federal Decree by Law No. (25) of 2025 Promulgating the Civil Transactions Law4Official · national figure |
| Typical rent deposit | 1.2 months | 29 Aug 2026 | Security Deposit & Rental Payment36Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context · national figure |
| Public healthcare access for foreign residents | Conditional | 3 Aug 2026 | The Official Platform of the UAE Government20Official · national figure |
| Area | 98,648 km² | 31 Dec 2023 | World Bank28Official · national figure |
| Population by year | 9,445,785 people (2019) | 1 Jul 2019 | Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL)17Official · country annual series |
| Doctors per 1,000 residents | 2.99 per 1,000 | 31 Dec 2023 | World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS30Official · national figure |
| Employed women | 1,129,819 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| Employed men | 5,549,358 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in agriculture, forestry and fishing | 94,176 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in mining and quarrying | 58,511 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in manufacturing | 699,995 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in construction | 1,483,682 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in wholesale and retail trade; motor vehicle and motorcycle repair | 779,061 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in accommodation and food services | 384,846 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in finance and insurance | 168,239 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in public administration, defence and compulsory social security | 277,106 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in education | 193,450 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People employed in healthcare and social work | 152,266 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| People in employment | 6,679,177 people | 2019 | bayanat.ae1Official · national figure |
| English proficiency index | 487 index points | 31 Dec 2025 | EF EPI3Official · national figure |
| First residence permit fee | 146.1 EUR | 8 Oct 2026 | ICP Services Guide 2024, Issue of Residence - Work Permit10Official · national figure |
| Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people | 40.8 % | 31 Dec 2024 | Fixed-broadband subscriptions — ITU DataHub7Official · national figure |
| Global city class (GaWC) | Alpha+ class | 31 Dec 2024 | Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University8Official · national figure |
| GDP per capita | 50,274 USD/person | 31 Dec 2024 | World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD29Official · national figure |
Working as… in United Arab Emirates
Open a profession for its available regulation, recognition and work-route evidence.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
What is the unemployment rate in United Arab Emirates?
The national unemployment rate was about 2.2 % in 2025. Source: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), 2025.
How many people live in United Arab Emirates?
The published population was 10,986,400 people in 2024. Source: World Bank.
Cite this page
Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.
APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Moving to United Arab Emirates: population, rent, salary [ImmigrationDB compilation; version f55752db0b37df3f552c51736a5fb7b2]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_moving-to-united-arab-emirates-population-rent-salary_dbbafa382d47,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Moving to United Arab Emirates: population, rent, salary},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {f55752db0b37df3f552c51736a5fb7b2},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Moving to United Arab Emirates: population, rent, salary](https://immigrationdb.com/countries/united-arab-emirates/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version f55752db0b37df3f552c51736a5fb7b2; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.
Sources
Every number above comes from one of these records. Open the original source for its geographic scope and publication date.
- bayanat.ae bayanat.ae · checked 2026-08-12
- Corporate Tax General Guide tax.gov.ae · checked 2026-09-20
- EF EPI ef.com · checked 2026-08-03
- Federal Decree by Law No. (25) of 2025 Promulgating the Civil Transactions Law uaelegislation.gov.ae · checked 2026-10-08
- Federal Decree by Law No. (50) of 2022 Promulgating the Commercial Transactions Law assets.u.ae · checked 2026-10-08
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, Article 17 uaelegislation.gov.ae · checked 2026-09-25
- Fixed-broadband subscriptions — ITU DataHub Fixed-broadband subscriptions · datahub.itu.int · checked 2026-09-24
- Globalization and World Cities (GaWC), Loughborough University gawc.lboro.ac.uk · checked 2026-08-03
- Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- ICP Services Guide 2024, Issue of Residence - Work Permit icp.gov.ae · checked 2026-10-08
Show 27 more sources
- ILOSTAT — Average monthly earnings of employees by sex, occupation and currency (annual) ILOSTAT · rplumber.ilo.org · checked 2026-07-30
- Issuance of a New Work Permit — Temporary Work Permits Issuance of a New Work Permit · tasheel.mohre.gov.ae · checked 2026-10-07
- MIPEX — Migrant Integration Policy Index, United Arab Emirates country profile MIPEX · mipex.eu · checked 2026-09-18
- Our World in Data (UNODC-backed grapher export) ourworldindata.org · checked 2026-08-03
- Payment of salaries/wages u.ae · checked 2026-09-17
- Physicians (per 1,000 people) data.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-13
- Population, total (SP.POP.TOTL) api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-29
- Sustainability Report 2023 tdra.gov.ae · checked 2026-09-24
- tax.gov.ae tax.gov.ae · checked 2026-08-03
- The Official Platform of the UAE Government u.ae · checked 2026-08-02
- The Official Platform of the UAE Government u.ae · checked 2026-08-02
- UAE Government Portal (u.ae) u.ae · checked 2026-08-03
- UAE Government public holidays page; Cabinet Resolution No. 27 of 2024, Arts. 1 and 3 u.ae · checked 2026-09-25
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate), 2025 api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-11
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- WHO GHO RS_196/RS_198 ghoapi.azureedge.net · checked 2026-09-05
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-02
- World Bank indicator NY.GDP.PCAP.CD api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank indicator SH.MED.PHYS.ZS api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank indicator SP.DYN.LE00.IN api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-07-14
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank Open Data api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-08-07
- World Bank SP.POP.TOTL api.worldbank.org · checked 2026-09-05
- List of Asian countries by average wage en.wikipedia.org · checked 2026-07-26
- Security Deposit & Rental Payment ajmanproperties.ae · checked 2026-10-08
- UAE Government — residence visas
Official UAE portal for residence visa categories and their sponsors. National guidance; the sponsoring route decides the conditions.