The 2010 General Census in the UAE, the federation established nearly 38 years ago, is set to start from April 5 to 15 according to an official concerned with the development. Country's total population is expected to cross five-million-mark at the end of this year as per information provided by the Ministry of Economy.

Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, assistant undersecretary at the Ministry of Interior Affairs said, "The attributive night on April 5, a common reference point, will be adopted by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries in conducting a joint census for the first time next year"

As many as 300,000 people from the dominant expatriate community got UAE's citizenship, contributing a significant share in the total population. The country's total population, according to the Ministry of Economy, stood at about 4.76 million at the end of 2008 and expected to touch nearly 5.06 million at the end of 2009 reporting an annual increase of around 6.3 per cent.

Mr. Al Khaili, who is also Chairman of the media committee of the 2010 census, termed the census extremely important for the country aimed to build a reliable and strategic database for drawing annual development plans and schemes for residents.
Dubai is expected to be most populated city of the country followed by Abu Dhabi, the largest emirate by area, Ajman and Sharjah.