Figures just released by the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi (Scad) have revealed interesting trends in education, employment and quality of life in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. As The National reported yesterday, one notable finding was the rise in average life expectancy over the period 2008 to 2011, reaching 77.6 years, with Al Ain residents living three years longer than those in the capital and Al Gharbia.
Despite an improved life expectancy among the male population, there is still a gap between the number of years men and women can expect to live. The average overall life expectancy for newborns is 77.1 for males and 78.2 for females. This may be attributable to various factors, such as more deaths being associated with car accidents and smoking among the male population in later life, but further study is needed to explore the reasons.
Unemployment rates among youth decreased from 9.3 per cent in 2005 to 8 per cent in 2012, hitting a low of 6.4 per cent in 2011. The percentage of UAE citizens employed in the public sector stands at 86.4 per cent, compared with just 5.7 per cent in the private sector. This suggests that new strategies need to be implemented to place more Emiratis in private companies.
In education, the number of kindergartens under the supervision of the Ministry of Social Affairs increased from 31 in 2005 to 83 in 2011. The total number of schools in the academic year 2011-2012 in Abu Dhabi has also increased to reach 451, of which 268 were public schools and 183 were private. This is a good news for Abu Dhabi families, as it means more options for their children's education. However, as The National noted last week, there is still a need for workplace-sponsored day care centres to support working mothers.
Statistics also show that Abu Dhabi roads are getting more congested. Between 2005 and 2011, the number of licensed vehicles in the Emirate increased by 190.9 per cent. This draws attention to the need for a more sophisticated public transport system and more studies on the effects of this increase on the environment.
The Scad statistics provide an interesting snapshot of life in Abu Dhabi, but they also indicate that there is room for further analysis to understand these trends and how they can assist government planning. It would be particularly useful to discover exactly what it is about Al Ain that adds three years to the average person’s lifespan.
