Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
be 92.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 17.0 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 39.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 33.2 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 78.3% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 64.4% less likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 66.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 54.7 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 99.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 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 91.3% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 88.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 67.1% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 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 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 2.0 times more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 14.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 38.4% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 72.0% more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 16.5 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 73.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 78.5 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 683.2 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 22.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 101.4 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.