Middle East & North Africa · AE
Generation Alpha & Beta
in United Arab Emirates
How many of each cohort United Arab Emirates has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
United Arab Emirates has approximately 1.8 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 15.5% of its population, and roughly 215,372 Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 1.2 and its child population is growing, projected +33% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at United Arab Emirates's own rate, less infant mortality. At 327 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 15.5% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 327 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Larger than the Alpha cohort — one of the countries where the next generation grows.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (+33%)
United Arab Emirates against the world average
Key dates for United Arab Emirates
12 compulsory years from age 6.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach United Arab Emirates's starting age of 6.
Under-15s change by +33% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow United Arab Emirates's own starting age of 6 and 12 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
United Arab Emirates in 20 numbers
| Indicator | United Arab Emirates | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 11.6 million | — | #80 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 1.8 million | — | #99 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 15.5% | — | #155 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 2.1 million | — | #93 of 194 |
| Births per year | 119,325 | — | #97 of 194 |
| Births per day | 327 | — | #97 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 16% | 25% | #145 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.2 | 2.2 | #175 of 194 |
| Median age | 32 years | 31 years | #95 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 83 years | 73 years | #14 of 194 |
| Urban population | 86% | 58% | #36 of 194 |
| Internet use | 100% | 68% | #1 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | 104% | 60% | #10 of 189 |
| School starting age | age 6 | — | #30 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 12 years | — | #30 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | Not reported | — | |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | Not reported | — | |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | +33% | — | #5 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 19 per 100 adults | — | #184 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 203 | — | #3 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
United Arab Emirates birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 104,000 babies were born in the United Arab Emirates in 2023, and women had 1.20 children on average. That is more births than in any earlier year since 1950. Fertility first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2006. Annual births are 82% higher than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3,400 | 6.50 |
| 1960 | 5,200 | 6.50 |
| 1970 | 8,900 | 6.52 |
| 1980 | 28,900 | 5.95 |
| 1990 | 46,600 | 4.51 |
| 2000 | 57,000 | 2.73 |
| 2010 | 78,100 | 1.56 |
| 2015 | 95,600 | 1.42 |
| 2020 | 98,900 | 1.29 |
| 2021 | 90,800 | 1.16 |
| 2022 | 95,200 | 1.15 |
| 2023 | 104,000 | 1.20 |
| 2025 projected | 114,000 | 1.21 |
| 2030 projected | 137,800 | 1.23 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in Middle East & North Africa
Egypt
34 million Generation Alpha
Iran
18 million Generation Alpha
Turkey
19 million Generation Alpha
Algeria
14.4 million Generation Alpha
Iraq
16 million Generation Alpha
Afghanistan
17 million Generation Alpha
Yemen
17.6 million Generation Alpha
Morocco
9.8 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with United Arab Emirates's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about United Arab Emirates
How many Gen Alpha are there in United Arab Emirates?
Approximately 1.8 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in United Arab Emirates, about 15.5% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in United Arab Emirates?
Roughly 215,372 children have been born in United Arab Emirates since 1 January 2025, growing by about 14 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in United Arab Emirates?
United Arab Emirates has a total fertility rate of 1.2 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in United Arab Emirates?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 6 in United Arab Emirates, and runs for 12 years.
Is the child population in United Arab Emirates growing or shrinking?
It is growing. The under-15 population is projected to change by +33% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in the United Arab Emirates each year?
About 104,000 in 2023, according to UN estimates, more than in any earlier year since 1950. The UN projects about 137,800 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in the United Arab Emirates changed over time?
It was 6.50 children per woman in 1950 and 1.20 in 2023. It first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 2006.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in United Arab Emirates. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/united-arab-emirates
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.