Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Libya, you would:
Health
live 11.9 years longer
In Libya, the average life expectancy is 71 years (70 years for men, 73 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 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Libya spends $1,055 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 32.3% more access to essential health services
Libya scores 62 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 65.8% less likely to die by suicide
Libya has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 88.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Libya, 18.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 7.8 times more money
Libya has a GDP per capita of $6,449 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 94.9% less likely to die during childbirth
In Libya, approximately 59.0 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 51.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Libya, approximately 7.9 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 40.5% fewer children
In Libya, there are approximately 16.5 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 36.6% more likely to have access to electricity
In Libya, approximately 73% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 22.0% more likely to have internet access
In Libya, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 36.4% less on healthcare
Libya spends 7.8% 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 25.5% less coastline
Libya has a total of 1,770 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 82.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Libya, road accidents kill 34.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.0 times more home broadband
Libya has 4.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 4.0 times more electricity
Libya uses 3,796 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 84.8% more strain on fresh water
Libya withdraws 817% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 29.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Libya, air pollution causes 54.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Libya emits 8.7 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. How we calculate this
Compare further: Libya vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Libya? See an in-depth size comparison.