United Arab Emirates's cities at a glance
Dots sized by population · Dubai in orange
United Arab Emirates has 3 cities with more than a million inhabitants and 7 with more than 100,000 (city-proper figures). The largest is Dubai with 3,790,000 people, followed by Abu Dhabi (1,807,000) and Sharjah (1,800,000). The three largest cities together hold about 63.6% of the country's 11.6 million people.
The capital, Abu Dhabi, is the 2nd largest city with 1,807,000 people — Dubai is 2.1× larger.
By region, the most large cities are in Abu Dhabi (4), Sharjah (3), Dubai (2).
Country-level figures — live population, births and deaths, growth, density and history — are on the United Arab Emirates population page; provinces, terrain, rivers and society maps are in the United Arab Emirates atlas.
United Arab Emirates cities by population
| # | City | Region | Population | Share of United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dubai | Dubai | 3,790,000 | 32.6% |
| 2 | Abu DhabiCapital | Abu Dhabi | 1,807,000 | 15.5% |
| 3 | Sharjah | Sharjah | 1,800,000 | 15.5% |
| 4 | Al Ain City | Abu Dhabi | 846,747 | 7.3% |
| 5 | Ajman | Ajman | 490,035 | 4.2% |
| 6 | Ras Al Khaimah | Ras Al Khaimah | 351,943 | 3% |
| 7 | Fujairah | Fujairah | 118,933 | 1% |
| 8 | Zayed City | Abu Dhabi | 63,482 | 0.5% |
| 9 | Umm Al Quwain City | Umm Al Quwain | 59,098 | 0.5% |
| 10 | Khawr Fakkān | Sharjah | 40,677 | 0.3% |
| 11 | Kalbā | Sharjah | 37,545 | 0.3% |
| 12 | Ar Ruways | Abu Dhabi | 25,000 | 0.2% |
| 13 | Ḩattā | Dubai | 15,324 | 0.1% |
Cities with 300,000 or more people link to their own page. The list keeps every city of 100,000+ and at least the 30 largest places of the country.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest city in United Arab Emirates?
Dubai, with about 3,790,000 inhabitants (city proper). It is larger than the capital, Abu Dhabi (1,807,000).
What is the capital of United Arab Emirates?
Abu Dhabi — population 1,807,000, the 2nd largest city in the country.
How many cities in United Arab Emirates have over one million people?
3: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah.
Are these metropolitan-area populations?
No. They are city-proper figures (the administrative city) from GeoNames, based on the latest census or official estimate. Metropolitan areas, which include suburbs and satellite towns, are larger — often several times larger for the biggest cities.
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VietnamCite or link to this page
Glostats. (2026). Largest Cities in United Arab Emirates (2026). Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://glostats.com/cities/united-arab-emirates/<a href="https://glostats.com/cities/united-arab-emirates/">Largest Cities in United Arab Emirates (2026)</a> — GlostatsFigures on this page may be quoted, charted or republished as long as the page is credited with a link. Terms · Download the data as CSV · Embed a live counter.
City populations are GeoNames figures (CC BY 4.0): the latest official census or estimate for the city proper — the municipality, not the wider metropolitan area — so they can differ from "metro area" numbers you see elsewhere. Country populations are live Glostats estimates from the UN World Population Prospects. Page generated 2026-10-20. More about our data.