Dubai and the other Emirates of the UAE have witnessed a population surge and it is not surprising to see that the UAE is one of the international leaders in population growth. What is particularly striking is that the country’s population back in 1971 was approximately 300,000 people and that by the end of 2012, the number of residents in Dubai surpassed 2 million, which is in line with an overall population growth rate of 5 - 8 per cent per year. 