The UAE's population has nearly doubled in the past 20 years as the country recorded one of the world's highest growth rates and largest influx of foreign job-seekers, according to official figures.

From around 2.34 million in 1990, the country's population stood at nearly 4.78m at the end of 2008, the Ministry of Economy said in its annual report.

The number of males surged from around 1.59m to 3.2m and females from nearly 764,000 to 1.47m in the same period, the report showed.

In 2008, the UAE had 892,000 nationals and the rest were expatriates, mostly from other Arab countries, South Asia, Africa and the West.

The figures showed the UAE has recorded one of the highest population growth rates in the world, averaging around 5.7 per cent over the past two decades. The rate hit one of its highest levels of 6.2 per cent in 2008 despite the exodus of a large number of foreigners following the eruption of the global fiscal crisis.

Growth was estimated at about 6.1 per cent in 2007, six per cent in 2006 and 2005 and between 5.7 and six per cent in the previous four years.

Despite the high population increase, the UAE has maintained its position as having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the developing nations, standing at around four per cent last year, according to the Ministry of Economy.

The report attributed this to high GDP growth over the past few years because of a surge in oil prices, which led to a sharp rise in public and private investments.

From only around 2.6 per cent in 2002, real GDP growth jumped to 11.9 per cent in 2003, nearly 16.2 per cent in 2004 and 16.8 per cent in 2005. It eased to about 14.9 per cent in 2006 and slumped to six and 7.4 per cent in 2007 and 2008 respectively but remained above the population growth rate.

In current prices, the GDP leaped by 17.9 per cent in 2003 and climbed to one of its highest levels of 20.5 and 30.7 per cent in 2004 and 2005. It remained as high as 27 per cent in 2006 before slipping to 17.8 per cent in 2007. In 2008, the nominal GDP sharply rebounded by 23.2 per cent.

The surge last year allowed the UAE to maintain status as one of the richest nations in terms of per capital GDP income, which peaked at Dh195,000.

In a recent study, the Ministry of Economy expected the UAE's population to cross the five-million-mark at the end of this year for the first time since the country was founded nearly 38 years ago.

The bulk of the increase of nearly 300,000 people will be in the dominant expatriate community while Dubai is projected to maintain its status as the most populated emirate in the UAE for the second year running.

From around 4.7m at the end of 2008, the country's total population will peak at nearly 5.066m at the end of 2009, an annual growth of about 6.3 per cent, the report showed.

A breakdown showed the national population will grow from 892,000 at the end of 2008 to 923,000 at the end of 2009 while expatriates will increase from about 3.87m to 4.143m.