Dubai population includes more men than women. The ratio of men and women in Dubai is 3:1. According to the survey carried out by the Statistical Center of Dubai, the population of Dubai was 1,422,000 as of 2006, among which 1,073,000 were males and 349,000 were females. About 71% of Dubai population consists of foreigners and expatriates and 3% is categorized as “western”. Emigrates in Dubai mostly include Asians, mainly from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Filipino. Besides, 16% of the population is not being identified either by ethnicity or by nationality but believed to be chiefly Asians. They are not identified by nationals mainly because they live in combined labor accommodation. The average age of total Dubai population is about 27 years.
The official language of Dubai is Arabic but due to massive number of emirates English, Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and Bengali are extensively spoken. The national religion of Dubai is Islam, certified by UAE’s Provisional Constitution Article number 7. About 95% of Sunni mosques in Dubai are sponsored by UAE government and provides employment to Sunni imams. The rest of the mosques are privately owned and several of them have huge private endowments.
The expatriate population in Dubai comprises of Hindu, Christians and Sikh communities. Although Dubai is an Islamic city, the non-Muslim communities are permitted to practice their own religion freely. The non-muslim population of Dubai can also possess their own houses of worship by requesting a land grant from the government. Non Muslim religious groups are allowed to advertise religious activities openly, however, distribution of religious pamphlets and brochures are strictly banned.
The demography of Dubai comprises a varied mixture of different nationalities and cultures, best reflected in Dubai’s cuisine.