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
newsdesk@thenational.ae
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”