Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Iraq, you would:
Health
live 10.6 years longer
In Iraq, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 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.
be 20.4% less likely to be obese
In Iraq, 39.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 4.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Iraq spends $843 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 2.9 times more doctors per person
Iraq has 10.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 39.0% more access to essential health services
Iraq scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 42.4% less likely to die by suicide
Iraq has a suicide rate of 3.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 86.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Iraq, 15.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 9.3 times more money
Iraq has a GDP per capita of $5,410 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 95.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Iraq, approximately 66.0 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 17.5% more likely to be literate
In Iraq, the literacy rate is 84.1% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 81.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Iraq, approximately 20.1 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.
have 61.6% fewer children
In Iraq, there are approximately 25.6 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 22.7% more likely to have internet access
In Iraq, approximately 81.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.1% less on healthcare
Iraq spends 5.5% 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 22.7 times more coastline
Iraq has a total of 58 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 72.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iraq, road accidents kill 21.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.3 times more home broadband
Iraq has 17.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 11.1 times more electricity
Iraq uses 1,377 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 25.3 times more strain on fresh water
Iraq withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 19.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iraq, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.5 times more CO2
Iraq emits 5.2 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: Iraq vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Iraq? See an in-depth size comparison.