| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,500,000 (2017) [1] 12.53% of the UAE's population [2] [3] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Abu Dhabi · Dubai · Sharjah · Al Ain · Ras Al Khaimah | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu [a] · Punjabi · Pashto · Sindhi · Balochi · Saraiki · Pahari-Pothwari · Brahui · Kashmiri · Arabic · English · other Pakistani languages | |
| Religion | |
| Islam · Christianity [5] [6] · Hinduism [7] |
Pakistanis in the United Arab Emirates include expatriates from Pakistan who have settled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with a population of over 1.5 million, [8] Pakistanis are the second largest national group in the UAE after Indians, constituting 12.5% of the country's total population. [3] They are the third largest overseas Pakistani community, behind the Pakistani diaspora in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The population is diverse and consists of people from all over Pakistan, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, Balochistan, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. The majority of Pakistanis are Muslim, with significant minorities of Christians, Hindus and other religions. The majority are found in Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively, while a significant population is spread out in Sharjah and the remaining Northern Emirates. Dubai alone accounts for a Pakistani population of 400,000. [8]
From the time when heavy Pakistani migration occurred to the Middle East, a number of Pakistanis went to the United Arab Emirates. While many tend to be skilled and semi-skilled professionals, [9] most are unskilled migrant workers. [10] Pakistanis outnumber Emirati nationals in three of UAE's emirates: Dubai, Sharjah and Ajman. [11]
Pakistani ethnic groups with significant populations include Punjabis, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch, Muhajirs and smaller populations of Saraikis, Kashmiris, Hindkowans and other ethnic groups. There are also smaller populations of Pakistani expatriates from other countries who live and work in the UAE, such as British Pakistanis [12] and Pakistani Canadians. [13]
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates maintain strong economic relations with each other, with the UAE being the second biggest trading partner of Pakistan in terms of bilateral trade. [14] A large skilled and semi-skilled Pakistani workforce contributes to the UAE economy. Around 20% of Pakistanis are white-collar professions, and the remaining 80% are involved in the blue-collar industry. [15] The ratio of blue-collar Pakistani labour migrating to the UAE has dropped since 2008, although the volume of remittances has increased. [16] Pakistan ranks among the top five sources of migrant professionals in the UAE. [17] The United Arab Emirates is a major investment destination for Pakistan. Pakistanis are among the top ten investors in the UAE property market, ranking as the second largest nationality that bought most property in Dubai. [18] Many wealthy Pakistanis have bought expensive properties in Dubai and have second homes there. [19] [20] Pakistani expatriates in the UAE are actively involved in the country's business, investment and services sectors. The UAE is the second largest source of remittances to Pakistan; in 2012, remittances from the UAE amounted to $2.9 billion. [14]
See Migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates
The UAE is widely reported to be complicit in a modern-day slave trade of from Pakistan workers. There continues to be very little sharing of oil despite energy shortages in Pakistan and unflexible nationality guidelines for anybody wanted to move on from Pakistani citizenship. [21]
Pakistanis in UAE dominate the transport sector i.e. from logistics to crane operators and up to taxi drivers. There are many Pakistani bankers working in various local and multinational banks. It is not uncommon to find Pakistani Professionals working in various Multinationals in UAE. There are many Pakistani restaurants in UAE owned and run by these expatriate Pakistanis.
There are number of organisations which represent Pakistanis in UAE. Some of them are as follows:
The Pakistani community in the UAE celebrates Independence Day with much fervour. [22] Urdu, being the national language of Pakistan, is a principal language of the community. [23]
Demographic features of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) include population density, vital statistics, immigration and emigration data, ethnicity, education levels, religions practiced, and languages spoken within the UAE.
The United Arab Emirates is a high-income developing market economy. The UAE's economy is the 4th largest in the Middle East, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$415 billion in 2021-2023.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a federal, elective monarchy composed of seven emirates, with Abu Dhabi as its capital. It shares land borders with Oman to the east and northeast, and with Saudi Arabia to the southwest; as well as maritime borders in the Persian Gulf with Qatar and Iran, and with Oman in the Gulf of Oman. As of 2024, the UAE has an estimated population of over 10 million, of which 11% are Emiratis; Dubai is the most populous city and is an international hub. Islam is the official religion and Arabic is the official language, while English is the most spoken language and the language of business.
Hindus are the third largest Religious group in the United Arab Emirates and constitute around 6.6%-15% of the population in the nation. Hinduism is followed mainly by the significant Nepali and Indian population in the United Arab Emirates.
Human rights in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are substantially restricted. The UAE does not have democratically elected institutions and citizens do not have the right to change their government or form political parties. Activists and academics who criticize the government are detained and imprisoned, and their families are often harassed by the state security apparatus. There are reports of forced disappearances of foreign nationals and Emirati citizens, who have been abducted, detained and tortured in undisclosed locations, and denied the right to a speedy trial and access to counsel during investigations by the UAE government. Human Rights Watch states that Emirati laws maintain capital punishment and discriminate against women, migrants and LGBT individuals.
Human rights in Dubai are based on the Constitution and enacted law, which promise equitable treatment of all people, regardless of race, nationality or social status, per Article 25 of the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates. Despite this, Freedom House has stated: "Extreme forms of self-censorship are widely practiced, particularly regarding issues such as local politics, culture, religion, or any other subject the government deems politically or culturally sensitive. The Dubai Media Free Zone (DMFZ), an area in which foreign media outlets produce print and broadcast material intended for foreign audiences, is the only arena where the press operates with relative freedom."
According to Human Rights Watch, there is substantial discrimination against women in the United Arab Emirates. The status of women has improved over the years. UAE performs better on metrics of gender equality than many other states in the Gulf region, and it has been making reforms to protect women's rights and empower women in different sectors. Critics describe some of these reforms as window dressing.
The Emiratis are the citizen population of the United Arab Emirates. Within the UAE itself, their number is approximately 1.15 million.
Indians in the United Arab Emirates constitute the largest part of the population of the country. Over 3,860,000 Indian expats are estimated to be living in the United Arab Emirates, with over 38% of the country's total population and the fourth highest number of overseas Indians in the world, after the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Malaysia. Indian contact with the emirates that now constitute the UAE dates back several centuries, as a result of trade and commerce between the emirates and India. The UAE has experienced a tremendous increase in the population of resident Indians who initially migrated to the country as a result of opportunities in petroleum. Now, Indians are key to the UAE's construction, retail, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and transport sectors. A sizeable minority of Indian migrants are involved in professional services and entrepreneurship. Relations between India and the UAE have traditionally been very friendly.
Pakistan–United Arab Emirates relations refer to bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. These relations date back to the UAE's formation in 1971, and have since evolved into wide-ranging co-operation in various fields. Pakistan was the first country to extend recognition of the United Arab Emirates, while the UAE has previously been a donor of economic and financial assistance to Pakistan it has happened the other way too. UAE recognizes Pakistan's contribution to the evolution of key institutions in the Emirates while Pakistan recognizes UAE's investment in Pakistan's economy and infrastructure. Both countries' populations share the same faith and are majorly Muslim.
Americans in the United Arab Emirates are residents of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who originate from the United States. As of 2015, there are over 50,000 Americans living in the country.
Australians in the United Arab Emirates consist of 16,000 expatriates, most of whom live in Dubai and the capital of Abu Dhabi.
There are thousands of Jordanians living in the United Arab Emirates. As of 2009, their population was estimated at 250,000, an increase from 80,000 in 2003, making them one of the largest Jordanian diaspora communities both worldwide and in the Persian Gulf region and also form the second-largest community of non-citizen Arabs in the UAE after the Egyptians. Most Jordanians live in Dubai and the capital, Abu Dhabi.
Expatriates in the United Arab Emirates represent about 88% of the population, while Emiratis constitute roughly 12% of the total population, making the UAE home to one of the world's highest percentage of expatriates.
Lebanese people in the United Arab Emirates have a population exceeding 80,000, closer estimates report a total of 156,000 Lebanese in the Emirates. Lebanese people form one of the largest communities of non-citizen Arabs in the UAE. In addition, an increasing number of Lebanese students seeking education and career opportunities opted for the country in light of its relatively reputable institutions across the Middle East, the case that applies mostly to those born in United Arab Emirates.
The Emirati diaspora comprises Emirati citizens who have emigrated from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to other countries, and people of Emirati descent born or residing in other countries.
Shia Islam is practiced by a minority of Muslims in the United Arab Emirates. It is also practiced among expatriate Muslim communities living in the country, most notably Iranians, as well as some Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, and other nationalities. Non-Twelver Shia branches such as Ismailis and the Dawoodi Bohras are also present in the UAE and account for less than 5% of the total population. Shia nationals are concentrated in the city of Dubai, belonging mostly to the latest (1920s) wave of migrants who managed to obtain citizenship.
Syrians in the United Arab Emirates include migrants from Syria to the United Arab Emirates, as well as their descendants. The number of Syrians in the United Arab Emirates was estimated to be around 242,000 in 2015.
Migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates describe the foreign workers who have moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for work. As a result of the proximity of the UAE to South Asia and a better economy and job opportunities, most of the migrant foreign workers are from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Philippines and Pakistan.
EmiratiArabic refers to a group of Arabic dialectal varieties spoken by the Emiratis native to the United Arab Emirates that share core characteristics with specific phonological, lexical, and morphosyntactic features and a certain degree of intra-dialectal variation, which is mostly geographically defined. It incorporates grammatical properties of smaller varieties within the UAE, generally of tribal nature, which can be roughly divided into a couple of broader sub-varieties: the first spoken in the Northern Emirates of Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, and the western part of Ras al-Khaimah; the second in the eastern part of the country, mainly in Fujeirah, Dibba, Khor Fakkan, Hatta, Kalba, and the eastern part of Ras al-Khaimah; the third in Abu Dhabi including the oasis city of Al Ain, the dialect is also seen in the Omani region of Al-Buraimi. Emirati Arabic varieties can also be distinguished based on environmental factors, including variations associated with Bedouin communities, coastal, agricultural, and mountainous regions.
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