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With an 83% foreign-based population, Dubai ranked over Brussels, Toronto, Los Angeles and more!
17 October 2018
| Last updated on 25 November 2018
The emirate of Dubai was voted as the world’s most cosmopolitan city in 2018 and here’s why
It’s no news that Dubai is a city that is mostly made up of expats from all over the world of different backgrounds, ages and cultures.
Dubai actually has a population with an 83% expatriate percentage out of the entire population in the emirate.
SEE ALSO: Expats Can Now Retire In The UAE
Which means that almost 2.6 million residents in Dubai are foreign-born but currently work and live in the emirate – this is important to note because the total population is just 3.14 million.
Leaving only less than one million population accounting to the local Emiratis in the emirate.
According to McKinsey & Company, the expats in Dubai come from more than 200 countries and can speak over 140 foreign languages.
And the second rated cosmopolitan city in the world is Brussels – with a foreign population of just 62%.
Who lives in Dubai?
Home to over 200 nationalities, Dubai is a hub of cultures, language and traditions.
While 83% of Dubai’s entire population is expat-based – almost 71% of that is originally Asian, primarily from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Philippines. And British expatriates make up the largest nationality of Western expats.
And of the 140 spoken languages in Dubai, you can expect your ears to pick up: Arabic, English, Hindu, Urdu, Persian, Bengali, Tamil, Tagalog, Malayalam, French, German, Spanish and many more.
Why is Dubai a cosmopolitan city?
According to McKinsey and Company, Dubai ranked the highest on the list with Lodon, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore and Tokyo following suit because they are a major hub for:
- Goods
- Services
- Finance
- People
- Data
- Communication
13 other cosmopolitan cities made the list
Here are the cities ranked in order with the corresponding expat population percentage:
- 1. Dubai, 83%
- 2. Brussels, 62%
- 3. Toronto, 46%
- 4. Auckland, 39%
- 5. Los Angeles, 39%
- 6. Sydney, 39%
- 7. Singapore, 38%
- 8. London, 37%
- 9. New York, 37%
- 10. Melbourne, 35%
- 11. Amsterdam, 28%
- 12. Frankfurt, 27%
- 13. Paris, 25%
- Tags:
- cosmopolitan
- expats
- dubai
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