Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Japan, you would:
Health
have 12.9% more doctors per person
Japan has 26.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
be 90.2% less likely to die by suicide
Japan has a suicide rate of 17.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Japan, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 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 5.4 times more likely to be obese
In Japan, 5.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 30.5% less spent on your healthcare
Japan spends $5,365 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
Economy
be 11.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Japan, 2.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 39.8% more money
Japan has a GDP per capita of $35,951 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
have 72.3% more children
In Japan, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Japan, approximately 1.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.9% more likely to have internet access
In Japan, approximately 85.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.7% less on healthcare
Japan spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 16.5% more on education
Japan spends 3.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
Geography
see 95.6% less coastline
Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 3.0 times more likely to be murdered
Japan has a homicide rate of 0.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Japan, road accidents kill 2.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.0 times more electricity
Japan uses 7,530 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 41.2 times more strain on fresh water
Japan withdraws 37% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Japan, air pollution causes 12.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Japan emits 7.8 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: Japan vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.