of UAE residents are online: 11.3 million internet users at the end of 2025
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesData hub · Updated 8 October 2026
UAE mobile app statistics 2026
The latest numbers on how people in the United Arab Emirates use their phones: internet and mobile adoption, social media apps, mobile shopping and payments, super apps, delivery, ride-hailing and government apps. Every figure links to its source, and we update the page every quarter.
Compiled by Amal Perera, Founder and CEO, Proud Lion Studios · Updated Key statistics
Mobile in the UAE at a glance
mobile connections per person: 23.0 million connections, about two for every resident
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab Emiratesmedian mobile download speed, up 54.2% in a year
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab Emiratesof UAE purchases are made on a mobile device, the highest share in the world
Source: Visa Acceptance Solutions and PYMNTS Intelligence, via Khaleej TimesUAE e-commerce market in 2025, 15.7% of all retail sales
Source: EZDubai Logistics Hub and Euromonitor Internationalof UAE transactions are paid by mobile, while only 16% of people use cash for everyday buys
Source: Visa, Where Cash Hides 2026people use UAE PASS, the national digital identity app
Source: TDRA, via Gulf Newsof Dubai taxi trips were booked through apps in 2025
Source: Dubai Media Office (RTA)Social media ad reach in the UAE, millions
Audience each platform says its ads can reach, late 2025
UAE e-commerce market, AED billion
2020 and 2025 actual, 2030 forecast
17.6
42.2
67.2
202020252030 forecast
How connected the UAE is
Internet and smartphone adoption
How many people in the UAE use the internet?
11.3 million people, 99.0% of the population, were online at the end of 2025.
That is up 288,000 (2.6%) in a year, from a population of 11.4 million.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesHow many mobile connections are there in the UAE?
23.0 million mobile connections, equal to 202% of the population.
Connections count SIM cards, not people, so many residents have more than one. The total grew by 1.7 million (8.1%) in a year.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesDoes everyone in the UAE own a mobile phone?
Yes. The UAE is one of only three countries where every adult owns a mobile phone.
The other two are Norway and Libya. Worldwide, 86% of adults own one, according to the World Bank's Global Findex 2025.
Source: World Bank Global Findex 2025, via Khaleej TimesIs Android or iPhone more popular in the UAE?
Android accounts for 73.3% of mobile web traffic in the UAE, and iOS for 26.7%.
That is StatCounter's September 2026 share of mobile web page views, so it measures usage rather than handsets sold.
Source: StatCounter Global StatsNetworks, speed and how much browsing is on mobile
Mobile speed and usage
How fast is mobile internet in the UAE?
The median mobile download speed is 614.42 Mbps, up 54.2% in a year.
Fixed broadband is slower, with a median of 327.56 Mbps. Both figures are Ookla data reported by DataReportal.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesDoes the UAE have the fastest mobile internet in the world?
Yes. The UAE ranked first worldwide for mobile internet speed in Ookla's Speedtest Global Index.
It held the top spot from July 2024 to June 2025.
Source: Ookla Speedtest Global Index, via Gulf NewsHow much web traffic in the UAE comes from mobile?
60.0% of UAE web page views come from mobile phones.
Desktop accounts for 38.9% and tablets for 1.1% (StatCounter, September 2026).
Source: StatCounter Global StatsHow much the UAE buys online and on mobile
E-commerce and mobile shopping
How big is the UAE e-commerce market?
The UAE e-commerce market reached AED 42.2 billion (USD 11.5 billion) in 2025.
That is up from AED 17.6 billion in 2020, a 19% yearly growth rate, and is forecast to reach about AED 67.2 billion by 2030.
Source: EZDubai Logistics Hub and Euromonitor InternationalWhat share of UAE retail is online?
About 15.7% of UAE retail sales were online in 2025.
Euromonitor forecasts the share will pass 20% by 2030. Apparel and footwear is the largest category at AED 11.4 billion.
Source: EZDubai Logistics Hub and Euromonitor InternationalWhat share of UAE purchases are made on a smartphone?
37% of UAE purchases are made on a mobile device, the highest share in the world.
Singapore is second at 34.8% and the UK third at 27.6%. 67% of UAE consumers used a phone for their most recent retail purchase.
Source: Visa Acceptance Solutions and PYMNTS Intelligence, via Khaleej TimesWhat are the most downloaded shopping apps in the UAE?
Temu, SHEIN and noon led UAE shopping app downloads in Q2 2025.
Temu peaked at about 91,000 downloads a week, SHEIN at 60,000 and noon at 43,000 (Sensor Tower, iOS and Android).
Source: Sensor TowerHow the UAE pays
Mobile payments and wallets
How many UAE transactions are paid by mobile?
21% of UAE transactions are paid with a mobile phone.
80% of all payments are now digital, according to Visa's Where Cash Hides study published in January 2026.
Source: Visa, Where Cash Hides 2026Is the UAE becoming a cashless country?
Only 16% of UAE consumers now use cash for everyday purchases, down from 25% a year earlier.
68% are largely non-cash users, and digital peer-to-peer payments rose 5 points to 35%. Cash still hangs on for tips: 58% tip in cash.
Source: Visa, Where Cash Hides 2026Are in-app purchases growing in the UAE?
The UAE led the GCC with a 26% rise in in-app purchase revenue.
Across the GCC, in-app purchase revenue grew 20% to USD 700 million, and app downloads grew 2.6% against 0.5% worldwide.
Source: Sensor Tower and Bidease, Middle East App Growth Report| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Payments made digitally | 80% |
| Transactions paid by mobile | 21% |
| Consumers who are largely non-cash | 68% |
| Use cash for everyday purchases | 16% (from 25%) |
| Digital peer-to-peer payments | 35% |
| Still tip in cash | 58% |
The apps people use every day
Super apps, delivery and ride-hailing
How many Dubai taxi rides are booked through apps?
45% of Dubai taxi trips were booked through e-hail apps in 2025, up 13% on 2024.
Dubai recorded 120.1 million taxi trips in 2025. App-booked limousine trips rose 25% to 41 million.
Source: Dubai Media Office (RTA)What are the most popular food delivery apps in the UAE?
talabat leads UAE food and drink app downloads.
talabat's weekly downloads rose from 29,900 to nearly 39,000 in Q3 2025, ahead of Smiles, KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's (Sensor Tower).
Source: Sensor TowerHow big is talabat?
talabat processed USD 9.5 billion in gross order value in 2025, up 28%.
Revenue reached USD 3.9 billion. These figures cover all eight of talabat's markets, not only the UAE.
Source: talabat FY2025 resultsHow big is the Careem super app?
Careem's revenue was AED 884 million in the first half of 2026, up 20%.
These were Careem Technologies' first public financials, released with e& results.
Source: e& results, via tbreakDigital government and mobile gaming
Government apps and gaming
How many people use UAE PASS?
More than 11 million people use UAE PASS, the national digital identity app.
It unlocks more than 15,000 services from over 350 organisations and has handled more than 2.6 billion digital transactions.
Source: TDRA, via Gulf NewsHow many people use the DubaiNow app?
DubaiNow had 2.2 million users and handled about 5.7 million payments in 2025.
It added 400,000 new users and more than 70 services in the year, reaching 370 services.
Source: Digital Dubai, via Gulf NewsHow much do UAE gamers spend?
UAE gamers spend an average of USD 84.6 a year, the highest in the region.
The UAE made up 33.7% of the USD 2 billion games market across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt in 2024 (Niko Partners).
Source: Niko Partners, via Game World ObserverMethod and sources
How we put this together
Reach is not users
Social media figures are advertising reach reported by each platform. They can count tourists, duplicate and business accounts, so a few exceed the population. We say so wherever it matters.
Connections are SIM cards
Mobile connection counts include second SIMs and data devices, which is why the UAE shows more than two connections per person.
How we source
Every figure links to the page we read it on. Where a primary report is not public, we link to the news coverage that reports it and name the original publisher. We do not round, combine or estimate figures.
Updates
We check this page every quarter and whenever a major new report is published. Spotted a newer figure or an error? Email amal@proudlionstudios.com and we will update it.
Using these numbers? Please cite this page:
Proud Lion Studios, "UAE Mobile App Statistics 2026", updated 8 October 2026, https://proudlionstudios.com/uae-mobile-app-statisticsQuestions
About this data
What share of UAE shopping happens on mobile?
37% of UAE purchases are made on a mobile device, the highest share in the world, according to the 2025 Global Digital Shopping Index by Visa Acceptance Solutions and PYMNTS Intelligence.
How many people in the UAE use the internet?
11.3 million people, or 99.0% of the population, at the end of 2025 (DataReportal Digital 2026).
Can I use these statistics and charts?
Yes. You are welcome to quote any figure or use the charts on this page. Please cite Proud Lion Studios with a link to this page, and the original source named under each figure.
How often is this page updated?
At least once a quarter, and whenever a major new report is published. The date at the top shows the last update.
Build your app in the UAE
Proud Lion Studios is a Dubai studio that has designed and shipped 50+ apps, platforms and games since 2021, for iOS, Android and the web.
Which platforms reach people in the UAE
Social media apps
How many social media users are there in the UAE?
There are 12.5 million social media user identities in the UAE, 110% of the population.
Identities can exceed the population because of duplicate and business accounts. The total grew 16.7% in a year.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesHow many people use Instagram in the UAE?
Instagram ads reach 8.05 million people in the UAE, 70.5% of the population.
Instagram was one of the fastest growing platforms, up 1.15 million (16.7%) in a year.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesHow many people use Snapchat in the UAE?
Snapchat ads reach 5.13 million people, 44.9% of the population.
That is up 245,000 (5.0%) in a year.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab EmiratesHow many people use TikTok in the UAE?
TikTok reports an ad reach of 12.5 million adults in the UAE.
That is more than the adult population (134.6%), because ad tools count tourists and duplicate accounts. Treat it as reach, not unique users.
Source: DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Arab Emirates