DUBAI, 22 June 2005 — The population of the Gulf emirate of Dubai reached 1.086 million residents at the end of March, with women making up nearly three fourths of that, newspapers reported yesterday.
The Dubai municipality released figures showing that the population grew by 16,000 in the first quarter, with women making up 74 percent.
The municipality did not, however, give a number for expatriates, widely believed to make up about 80 percent of the emirate’s population.
Dubai is one of the seven members of the United Arab Emirates, which has a population of more than four million.
Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and Iranians were estimated at nearly 40 percent of the population. The remainder included other Asian, Arab, Western and African nationalities.
The municipality also said the emirate’s 281 hotels catered to 1.34 million guests in the first quarter.
Dubai welcomed 5.4 million visitors in 2004 and has plans to receive an annual 15 million guests in 2010, according to official figures.
