Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 5.2 years longer
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 65.2% more doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 10.8% more access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 58.0% less likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 28.7% more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 73.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 12.8 times more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 81.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 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 11.1% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 63.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 21.9% fewer children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 17.2% more likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.6% less on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 37.9% more on education
Iran 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.
Geography
see 46.0% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 71.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.4 times more home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 4.0 times more electricity
Iran uses 3,815 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 18.6 times more strain on fresh water
Iran withdraws 81% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 37.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Iran emits 9.1 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.