Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 80.0% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.4% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 57.5% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 22.8% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 53.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 61.8% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 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 11.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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.
Expenditures
spend 27.4% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 34.1% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.4% more home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 2.4 times more electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 187.6 times more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.