Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
be 90.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Jamaica, 1.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 11.5 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 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 10.2% less likely to be obese
In Jamaica, 35.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 6.5 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 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
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
Economy
be 34.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 6.3 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 97.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 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 76.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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.
have 14.2% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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 11.0% more likely to have internet access
In Jamaica, approximately 90.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 34.6% less on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% 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 29.0% more coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 98.6% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 66.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.6 times more home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 12.7 times more electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 122.0 times more strain on fresh water
Jamaica withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.4 times more CO2
Jamaica emits 2.8 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: Jamaica vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.