Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Croatia, you would:

Health

live 4.1 years longer

In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 15.4% more spent on your healthcare

Croatia spends $3,229 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.

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be 89.1% less likely to die by suicide

Croatia has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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have 23.5% fewer doctors per person

Croatia has 39.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Croatia, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

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make 85.5% more money

Croatia has a GDP per capita of $27,104 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.

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Life

have 18.3% more children

In Croatia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 19.6% more likely to have internet access

In Croatia, approximately 83.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 30.5% less on healthcare

Croatia spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 77.4% less coastline

Croatia has a total of 5,835 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

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Safety

be 27.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Croatia, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 38.0% more home broadband

Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.

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use 3.4 times more electricity

Croatia uses 4,484 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 1000.0 times more strain on fresh water

Croatia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Croatia, air pollution causes 31.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.8 times more CO2

Croatia emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: Croatia vs. United Arab Emirates

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
United Arab Emirates is 17.4% more expensive than Croatia overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Croatia is about 1.5 times smaller than United Arab Emirates.
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Moving from Croatia to United Arab Emirates · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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United Arab Emirates: At a glance

United Arab Emirates is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 83,600 sq km. The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its high oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. However, in 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE has essentially avoided the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East, though in March 2011, political activists and intellectuals signed a petition calling for greater public participation in governance that was widely circulated on the Internet. In an effort to stem potential further unrest, the government announced a multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates and aggressively pursued advocates of political reform.
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How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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