Dubai's resident population reached 4.580 million at the end of 2025, after growth of 7.5% in a single year. The Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, launched in March 2021, started from 3.3 million residents in 2020 and projected 5.8 million by 2040. On those figures the emirate is already at about 79% of the 2040 projection, with fifteen years of the plan still to run.
Water demand is rising with it
DEWA's daily peak desalinated water demand rose from 455 million imperial gallons in 2024 to 487 million in 2025, an increase of 7.0%. Installed desalination capacity stood at 555 million imperial gallons a day (MIGD) in the first quarter of 2026, after the first 60 MIGD block at Hassyan entered service.
The capacity plan rests on Hassyan
Adding the remaining 120 MIGD of Hassyan Phase 1, due in full by the first quarter of 2027, and the 60 MIGD second phase signed in 2026 to the 555 MIGD installed gives 735 MIGD. That matches DEWA's target for end-2030; Khaleej Times reported the same figure for 2029. DEWA said in July 2022 that its expansion plans are based on demand forecasts through 2031.
Storage is the thinner margin
DEWA's desalinated water storage stood at 882 million imperial gallons in early 2024, about 1.8 days of the 2025 peak day. Its planned 1,152 million gallons, which carries no completion date, would equal about 2.4 days.
Who runs Dubai's water, where it comes from, what the AED 80 billion sewerage tunnel programme and AED 30 billion Tasreef drainage programme involve, and what to watch through 2027 are set out in the report. The full report, Dubai City Intelligence Profile, is available for USD 99. For a free overview, see Dubai City Snapshot.