Abu Dhabi // If you want to live a long life then move to Al Ain.
Life expectancy across the Abu Dhabi emirate has risen over the period 2008 to 2011, according to statistics released by the Statistics Centre-Abu Dhabi.
And it is Al Ain residents who are growing the oldest. They are living for three years longer while those elsewhere are living for up to two years longer.
A newborn girl can expect to live to 78.2 years of age, while a boy to 77.1.
“This new release introduces the reader to Abu Dhabi by reflecting the significant development the emirate has experienced,” said Butti Al Qubaisi, the director general of the statistics centre.
“It is intended to serve as a simple and quick reference about the emirate of Abu Dhabi.”
Explore Abu Dhabi Through Statistics 2013 presented data across several areas including employment, health and education.
In 2012, the population of Abu Dhabi emirate stood at 2,334,563 – 1,662,051 males, 672,512 female. Of these 476,722 were Emiratis.
The number of registered live births in the emirate increased by 40.3 per cent over the past decade, from 24,300 in 2002 to 34,103 in 2012.
The labour force has also witnessed profound changes. This has surged from 815,311 in 2005 to 1,628,712 in 2012, with the Emirati labour force increasing from 85,838 in 2005 to 142,171 in 2012 – a rate of 7.47 per cent a year.
The labour force includes the employed and unemployed aged 15 years and over.
Total employment increased from 786,738 in 2005 to 1,577,013 in 2012, with the highest percentage of employees in the Abu Dhabi region – 57.1 per cent of the total.
Data showed that the construction sector made up the largest proportion, 30.1 per cent, of the employed population. The private sector has the highest percentage of employees, 65.1 per cent, followed by the Government sector at 15.2 per cent.
Emiratisation has been a key issue for the Government. The figures underline why the Government has been trying to entice more Emiratis into the private sector.
The highest percentage of employees, 65.1 per cent of the total employed population, work in the private sector, followed by the Government sector, at 15.2 per cent.
The percentage of citizens employed in the Government sector stands at 86.4 per cent, compared with just 5.7 per cent in the private sector.
The unemployment rate for the total male population was 7.3 per cent, 4.1 per cent and 5.5 per cent for 2005, 2011 and 2012, whereas for females, the corresponding rates were 15.6 per cent, 16.5 per cent and 18 per cent.
The statistics also showed huge progress made in education and health care.
The total number of schools for the 2011/2012 academic year in Abu Dhabi was 451. The number of pupils enrolled at all educational levels increased from 228,433 in 2001/2002 to 310,620 in 2011/2012. Progress was also made in higher education with the numbers of students enrolled rising from 26,851 in 2007/2008 to 41,921 in 2011/2012 – an increase of 56.1 per cent.
In health care, many achievements have been made. In 1975, infrastructure for health services was represented in only two hospitals with about 600 beds in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.
However, in 2010 there were 12 Government hospitals with 2,582 beds, in addition to two military hospitals and 429 health centres (public and private).
The private health sector is also growing, especially with the development of the health insurance system. Abu Dhabi emirate currently has 19 private hospitals and 239 clinics.
Improving transport links has also been a key objective for the Government. Significant investments have been made in building a network of modern roads, ports and developing airports – the number of licensed vehicles in Abu Dhabi emirate increased from 269,920 in 2005 to 785,076 in 2011 – an increase of 190.90 per cent.
In terms of communications, the number of subscribers to the mobile phone service increased by 18.9 per cent between 2009 and 2012.
Turning to tourism, Abu Dhabi is experiencing a boom. The number of hotels has surged from 77 in 2007 to 130 in 2012 and the number of rooms doubled from 10,192 to 21,997 over the same period. The growth reflects the building of parks, shopping malls, housing, sports facilities, galleries and museums, which are all attracting more tourists.
The tourism statistics showed an increase in the number of guests from all nationalities, but the largest increase came from non-Arab African countries – a rise of 32.6 per cent last year on 2011.
The full publication can be downloaded online by visiting www.scad.ae
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