Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 9.3 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 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.
have 20.6% more access to essential health services
North Korea scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 81.6% less likely to die by suicide
North Korea has a suicide rate of 9.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 11.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 38.7% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 95.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 67.0 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 71.4% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 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 23.6% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 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 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% 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.
Geography
see 47.2% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Infrastructure
use 19.4 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 54.4 times more strain on fresh water
North Korea withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In North Korea, air pollution causes 86.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.3 times more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 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: North Korea vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.