Total consumer spending in Dubai hit Dh37.9 billion ($10.3 billion) in 2008, data from a recent report released by Dubai Statistics Center (DSC) revealed. The report was based on the consumers spends of both UAE national and expatriate families and Dubai and had a sample size of two percent of emirate's 203,140 families, according to the 2005 census. The sample consisted of 1,208 national families, 2,159 non-national and 664 collective families.
Due to their high numbers, Asian families accounted for the highest percentage of the consumer spending, according to the report. Accounting for more than a third of the total annual consumer spending at 38.6 percent, Asians spent Dh14.6 billion. UAE national families came in second with annual consumption of Dh9.7 billion or 25.7 percent of the total consumer spending by families. Arab families accounted for 14.2 percent with annual consumer spending of Dh5.3 billion. Europeans with consumer spends valued at Dh4.6 billion (12.2 percent) and joint families with Dh3.5 million (9.3 percent) came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
However, the report also revealed that Westerners were the highest earners with an average annual per capita income of Dh180,000. Emiratis with Dh113,000 and Arabs with Dh68,000 followed next. Asians families and collective families earned average annual per capita income of Dh60,000 and Dh38,000 respectively.
The highest percentage of expenditure was on accommodation and rentals, fuel and energy. These accounted for 42.95 percent of the income - Dh16.3 billion of the total spend in 2008. Expenses on telecommunications and transport came second with 16.8 percent share at Dh6.4 billion. Expenditure on food and beverages stood at Dh4.2 billion, 11.29 percent of the total income.
