Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
live 15.5 years longer
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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.
see 43.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 20.9 times more doctors per person
Ethiopia has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 71.8% less likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.8 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 34.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 53.9 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 98.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 63.4% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 89.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 68.8% fewer children
In Ethiopia, there are approximately 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 80.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 79.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 69.1% more on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 77.5% more on healthcare
Ethiopia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 66.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.2 times more home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 135.8 times more electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 46.8 times more strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 52.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 121.7 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.