The largest group of non-UAE nationals are South Asian (58%), followed by other Asians (17%) and Western expatriates (8.5%). There is an increasing presence of Europeans, particularly in cities like Dubai. Dubai is the largest city with a population of 1.78 million. Interestingly, Dubai is often misperceived as a country or a city-state. Sometimes, all of the UAE is described simply as "Dubai," which shows just how influential and well-known the city has become.
The UAE's population has experienced sharp decline over the last decade, but this has reversed. Its urban population is predicted to grow to 7.9 million by 2020, at which point city dwellers will account for 85% of the region's population.