If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Latvia, you would:

Health

live 6.6 years longer

In Latvia, the average life expectancy is 76 years (72 years for men, 82 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.

View global rankings →

see 22.9% more spent on your healthcare

Latvia spends $3,034 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 88.8% less likely to die by suicide

Latvia has a suicide rate of 15.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 41.7% more likely to be obese

In Latvia, 22.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 11.9% fewer doctors per person

Latvia has 34.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 67.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Latvia, 6.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 91.1% more money

Latvia has a GDP per capita of $26,312 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Life

be 84.2% less likely to die during childbirth

In Latvia, approximately 19.0 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.

View global rankings →

have 42.3% more children

In Latvia, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 72.7% more likely to die during infancy

In Latvia, approximately 2.2 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 31.7% less on healthcare

Latvia spends 7.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 2.6 times more coastline

Latvia has a total of 498 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 72.4% less likely to be murdered

Latvia has a homicide rate of 2.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.

View global rankings →

be 39.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Latvia, road accidents kill 9.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 58.6% more home broadband

Latvia has 25.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

use 4.1 times more electricity

Latvia uses 3,768 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

live with 1480.3 times more strain on fresh water

Latvia withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 75.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Latvia, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 5.0 times more CO2

Latvia emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

United Arab Emirates: At a glance

United Arab Emirates is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 83,600 sq km. The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its high oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. However, in 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE has essentially avoided the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East, though in March 2011, political activists and intellectuals signed a petition calling for greater public participation in governance that was widely circulated on the Internet. In an effort to stem potential further unrest, the government announced a multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates and aggressively pursued advocates of political reform.
Read more

How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Latvia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United Arab Emirates or Latvia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.