The GCC is one of the most international consumer markets on earth. Understanding who is actually here is the first step to selling to them.
The GCC is home to roughly 56 million people as of 2024, and here is the striking part: more than half are expatriates. Nearly 35 million foreign residents live and work across the six states, drawn from South Asia, the wider Arab world, East Asia, Europe and beyond.
The expatriate share is extraordinary in the smaller states, around 88% in the UAE and Qatar and roughly 70% in Kuwait. Even in Saudi Arabia, the region's most populous nation, expatriates make up around 42% of the population, some 16 million people alongside about 20.5 million Saudis.
This is not one homogeneous audience; it is dozens of nationalities, palates and price points concentrated in a handful of cities. It is also, on average, young, urban and affluent, with a strong appetite for premium, international and brand-led products.
On top of the residents sit the tourists. Dubai alone welcomed 18.72 million international overnight visitors in 2024, a record. Every one of them is a consumer passing through the on-trade and retail, often at the premium end. The effective market is far larger than the resident population suggests.
The Gulf consumer is international, affluent and reachable. For a brand with a genuine story and the right positioning, few markets offer a more receptive, higher-value audience, if you know how to reach them where they buy.
Sources: Gulf Labour Markets & Migration (GLMM) · Al Jazeera · Dubai Dept. of Economy & Tourism. Figures as reported; validate before commercial use.