UAE population rises to 8.19 mln

The population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reached 8.19 million and is continuing to grow despite the global financial crisis, a local English daily reported Sunday.

The UAE population stood at 8.07 million in 2008 and had risen by 125,000 last year, The National said, citing a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics.

According to the newspaper, the figure is higher than other previous official figures and projections.

The Report on Economic and Social Dimension 2009 also showed that the majority of the population, 81.9 percent, is in the 15 to 59 age group, while just 1.3 percent are aged 60 or above, it said.

Seventy-nine percent of the expatriate population is " economically active," or in work, compared with 45 percent of Emiratis, the report said, adding that nearly 20 percent of the population were voluntarily unemployed while 2.3 percent were looking for jobs.

Source: Xinhua