If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:

Health

be 95.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 18.8 years longer

In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 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 15.1 times more spent on your healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends $247 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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have 11.9 times more doctors per person

Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.

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have 2.2 times more access to essential health services

Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.

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be 77.7% less likely to die by suicide

Guinea-Bissau has a suicide rate of 7.7 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 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In Guinea-Bissau, 12.7% 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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Economy

be 18.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% 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 44.7 times more money

Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.

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Life

be 99.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 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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be 54.6% more likely to be literate

In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.

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be 91.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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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have 66.8% fewer children

In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 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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Basic Needs

be 2.5 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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.

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be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.

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be 61.8% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 43.7% less on healthcare

Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% 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 44.1% more on education

Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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Geography

see 3.8 times more coastline

Guinea-Bissau has a total of 350 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

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Safety

be 80.7% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 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 104.7 times more home broadband

Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.

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live with 1006.6 times more strain on fresh water

Guinea-Bissau 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 21.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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emit 114.1 times more CO2

Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 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 (2020), World Health Organization (2024). 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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