Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
be 98.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Namibia, 9.0% 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 15.5 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 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
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 5.4 times more doctors per person
Namibia has 5.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 30.2% more access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 80.1% less likely to die by suicide
Namibia has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 73.1% more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 88.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 10.3 times more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 97.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 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 12.7% more likely to be literate
In Namibia, the literacy rate is 87.6% as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 89.6% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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 62.1% fewer children
In Namibia, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% 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 54.2% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 15.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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 57.2% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 47.6% less on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% 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 16.2% less coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 93.8% less likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 73.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 14.4 times more home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 12.4 times more electricity
Namibia uses 1,232 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 4870.7 times more strain on fresh water
Namibia withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.2 times more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 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: Namibia vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.