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

Health

live 1.2 years longer

In Greece, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 84 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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be 63.5% less likely to die by suicide

Greece has a suicide rate of 4.7 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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be 15.2% more likely to be obese

In Greece, 27.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.

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have 54.5% fewer doctors per person

Greece has 65.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 74.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Greece, 8.5% 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 86.6% more money

Greece has a GDP per capita of $26,948 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.

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Life

be 40.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Greece, approximately 5.0 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.

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have 48.8% more children

In Greece, there are approximately 6.6 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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be 18.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Greece, approximately 3.2 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.

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Basic Needs

be 15.9% more likely to have internet access

In Greece, approximately 86.3% 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 40.8% less on healthcare

Greece spends 8.4% 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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spend 15.1% more on education

Greece spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 90.4% less coastline

Greece has a total of 13,676 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

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Safety

be 17.9% less likely to be murdered

Greece has a homicide rate of 0.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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be 19.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Greece, road accidents kill 7.3 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

use 3.3 times more electricity

Greece uses 4,686 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 74.3 times more strain on fresh water

Greece withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Greece, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.6 times more CO2

Greece emits 5.0 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), 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.
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