Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 62.9% more spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 34.4% more access to essential health services
Maldives scores 61 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 77.0% more likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
be 16.3% more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 3.4 times more money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 90.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 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 19.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 17.3% more likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.8% less on education
Maldives spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 46.3% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% 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 2.0 times more coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 11.3% more likely to be murdered
Maldives has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 4.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 96.4 times more strain on fresh water
Maldives withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.1 times more CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.