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

Health

be 89.7% less likely to die by suicide

France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 2.8 times more likely to be obese

In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 45.7% less spent on your healthcare

France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 71.2% less likely to be unemployed

In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 57.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In France, approximately 7.0 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.

View global rankings →

be 11.8% more likely to die during infancy

In France, approximately 3.4 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 12.8% more likely to have internet access

In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 26.9% less on education

France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

View global rankings →

spend 56.9% less on healthcare

France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 72.8% less coastline

France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 48.5% less likely to be murdered

France has a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 25.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

use 2.4 times more electricity

France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

find 16.5% less home broadband

France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 70.6 times more strain on fresh water

France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution

In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 4.6 times more CO2

France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

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.
Read more

How big is United Arab Emirates compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United Arab Emirates or France. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.