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28 March 2024

Europeans are the biggest earners in Dubai

Arabs are placed third on the list with an annual income of Dh102,000 and a monthly average of Dh8,005. (FILE)

Published
By Mohammed Al Sadafy

European expatriates top the annual income survey in Dubai followed by Emiratis and Arab households.

The average annual income of Europeans is Dh172,000 and the monthly average is Dh14,003, according to a household expenditure and income survey by Dubai Statistics Centre.

Emiratis come in second with an annual income of Dh133,000 and a monthly average of Dh11,800, while Arabs are placed third on the list with an annual income of Dh102,000 and a monthly average of Dh8,005.

The annual income of Asians is Dh76,000, with a monthly average of Dh6,003, the survey showed.

Most European expatriates work in senior positions and companies consider the exchange rates of currencies of their home countries, said Arif Obaid Al Muhairi, Chief Executive of Dubai Statistics Centre, explaining the reason for their high income.

Meanwhile, the average annual income of Emirati households is far higher compared with non-Emirati households in Dubai.

According to the survey conducted in 2009, the average household income of Emiratis is Dh665,000 a year with a monthly average Dh55,000.

The European household follows with an annual income of Dh460,000 and a monthly average of Dh38,000.

Arab households come third on the list with an average annual income of Dh280,000 and a monthly average Dh23,000.

And the average annual income of Asian households is Dh211,000 with a monthly average of Dh18,000.

Al Muhairi attributed the high income of UAE citizens to the increase in salaries of Federal Government staff beginning end-2008, combined with other commercial sources of income.

The survey showed the per capita income of Europeans fell to Dh172,000 in 2009 from Dh175,000 in 2008, while the average income of a national increased to Dh133,000 in 2009 compared to Dh112,000 in 2008.

The per capita average income of Arabs fell from Dh102,000 to Dh70,000, and that of Asian expatriate declined from Dh76,000 to Dh71,000 during the same period.

Al Muhairi said the decline in incomes of expatriates in Dubai was due to decline  in the nominal rather than the real, where some of those are working as investors. 

For instance, if they are trading in cars and due to the decline in the prices of their investments in cars, the prices fell by almost 10 per cent, their revenue declined and such a decline is nominal and not real.