Blitz Bureau
THE UAE’s fertility rate has declined significantly over the past 30 years, according to a recent UN report. The World Fertility Report 2024 revealed that the fertility rate of live births per woman dropped from 3.76 in 1994 to 1.21 in 2024. However, there are projections suggesting a slight rise to 1.34 live births per woman by 2054 in the UAE, according to Khaleej Times.
The situation is no different in neighbouring Gulf Arab countries. The fertility rate in Saudi Arabia, the biggest country in terms of population in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region, saw its fertility rate drop from 5.16 live births per woman in 1994 to 2.31 in 2024. It is projected to drop further to 1.85 over the next three decades.
Similarly, the fertility rate in Oman dropped from 5.36 live births per woman three decades earlier to 2.51 last year. In Kuwait, the rate dropped from 3.27 in 1994 to 1.51 in 2024 – the lowest in the Gulf region. In Qatar, the rate fell to 1.72 in 2024 from 3.66 in 1994. Bahrain saw fertility at 1.8 in 2024 as against 3.29 in 1994.
The Government has taken proactive steps by establishing the Ministry of Family and upgrading the Ministry of Community Development to the Ministry of Community Empowerment. These changes aim to promote family formation, empower families, strengthen their cohesion, and fertility rates particularly among UAE nationals, reported the paer.. Additionally, the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi (DCD) has introduced a programme featuring six initiatives to support growth of the Emirati family which included six initiatives to support UAE Nationals to marry and raise children, build and grow families, and contribute to family and societal cohesion.
The UN’s advanced unedited report added that fertility levels of less than 2 births per woman are becoming the global norm. However, it warned that very low fertility leads to population decline and an ageing society. The UN report revealed that the global fertility rate in 2024 was 2.2 births per woman on average, down from around 5 in the 1960s and 3.3 in 1990.
