UAE income percentile: where does your salary rank?
To be in the top 10% of all UAE workers you need about AED 21,674 a month. The top 1% starts near AED 87,333, and the median worker earns AED 3,662. Which group you compare against changes the answer dramatically, so all four are shown below.
- Median, all workers
- AED 3,662 a month
- Top 25% starts at
- AED 9,068 a month
- Top 10% starts at
- AED 21,674 a month
- Top 1% starts at
- AED 87,333 a month
- Top 10% of professionals starts at
- AED 55,520 a month
- Median household income
- AED 19,720 a month
- Figures as of
- 5 August 2026
What salary puts you in the top 10% of all UAE workers?
Gross monthly salary required to reach each percentile among the roughly 9.2 million people employed in the UAE, including construction, domestic and collective-household workers:
| Percentile | Gross monthly salary (monthly) | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | AED 1,415 | AED 16,980 |
| 25th percentile | AED 2,035 | AED 24,420 |
| Median (50th) | AED 3,662 | AED 43,944 |
| 75th percentile | AED 9,068 | AED 108,816 |
| 90th percentile — top 10% | AED 21,674 | AED 260,088 |
| 95th percentile — top 5% | AED 34,244 | AED 410,928 |
| 99th percentile — top 1% | AED 87,333 | AED 1,047,996 |
What salary puts you in the top 10% of UAE professionals?
If you work in a white-collar role, this is the more relevant comparison — about 2 million people:
| Percentile | Professional salary (monthly) | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | AED 8,779 | AED 105,348 |
| 25th percentile | AED 12,869 | AED 154,428 |
| Median (50th) | AED 20,010 | AED 240,120 |
| 75th percentile | AED 32,476 | AED 389,712 |
| 90th percentile — top 10% | AED 55,520 | AED 666,240 |
| 95th percentile — top 5% | AED 83,129 | AED 997,548 |
| 99th percentile — top 1% | AED 183,120 | AED 2,197,440 |
What are UAE household income percentiles?
For combined household income across roughly 2.4 million regular UAE households:
| Percentile | Household income (monthly) | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | AED 7,495 | AED 89,940 |
| 25th percentile | AED 11,336 | AED 136,032 |
| Median (50th) | AED 19,720 | AED 236,640 |
| 75th percentile | AED 37,850 | AED 454,200 |
| 90th percentile — top 10% | AED 74,837 | AED 898,044 |
| 95th percentile — top 5% | AED 112,093 | AED 1,345,116 |
| 99th percentile — top 1% | AED 218,292 | AED 2,619,504 |
What does my salary percentile actually mean?
| Monthly salary | Rank vs all workers | Rank vs professionals |
|---|---|---|
| AED 5,000 | Top 40% | Bottom 1.4% |
| AED 10,000 | Top 23% | Bottom 14% |
| AED 15,000 | Top 15% | Bottom 33% |
| AED 20,000 | Top 11% | Right at the median |
| AED 30,000 | Top 6.2% | Top 28% |
| AED 50,000 | Top 2.6% | Top 12% |
| AED 100,000 | Top 0.8% | Top 3.6% |
These figures are gross labour income. Percentiles for total income including capital income run higher: the World Inequality Database places the UAE's top 1% total-income threshold near AED 154,000 a month per adult.
Check your own percentile on the interactive dashboard →Frequently asked questions
- What salary puts you in the top 1% in the UAE?
- About AED 87,333 a month (AED 1,047,996 a year) in labour income, measured across all UAE workers. Including capital income, the World Inequality Database puts the top 1% threshold closer to AED 154,000 a month per adult.
- What is the top 10% income in the UAE?
- Roughly AED 21,674 a month, or about AED 260,088 a year, across the full workforce. Among white-collar professionals only, the top 10% starts near AED 55,520 a month.
- Am I rich in Dubai on AED 30,000 a month?
- AED 30,000 a month puts you in roughly the top 6% of all UAE workers and the top 28% of professionals. It affords a comfortable lifestyle but is well short of the wealth tier: the top 1% of UAE adults hold net worth above about AED 14.4 million.