Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Kenya, you would:
Health
be 96.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Kenya, 3.0% 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 19.2 years longer
In Kenya, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 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 13.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Kenya spends $274 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 10.4 times more doctors per person
Kenya has 2.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 54.7% more access to essential health services
Kenya scores 53 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 62.7% less likely to die by suicide
Kenya has a suicide rate of 4.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Kenya, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 60.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Kenya, 5.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 21.3 times more money
Kenya has a GDP per capita of $2,363 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 98.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Kenya, approximately 149.0 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 19.6% more likely to be literate
In Kenya, the literacy rate is 82.6% as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 88.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Kenya, approximately 34.2 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 63.6% fewer children
In Kenya, there are approximately 27.0 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 31.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Kenya, approximately 76% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Kenya, approximately 35.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 52.4% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Kenya, approximately 66% of people have access to drinking water (89% in urban areas, and 56% 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 14.3% more on healthcare
Kenya spends 4.3% 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 2.5 times more coastline
Kenya has a total of 536 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 85.8% less likely to be murdered
Kenya has a homicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 79.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Kenya, road accidents kill 28.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.4 times more home broadband
Kenya has 3.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 78.3 times more electricity
Kenya uses 195 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 45.4 times more strain on fresh water
Kenya withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Kenya, air pollution causes 33.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 48.1 times more CO2
Kenya emits 0.4 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), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kenya vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Kenya? See an in-depth size comparison.