Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
live 1.2 years longer
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 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.
be 25.4% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
be 68.5% less likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 23.8% more money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 72.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 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 37.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Puerto Rico, approximately 6.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 72.3% more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 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 14.6% more likely to have internet access
In Puerto Rico, approximately 87.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.6 times more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 95.3% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 52.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Puerto Rico, road accidents kill 12.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 45.9% more home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 77.3 times more strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 3.8 times more CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 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), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.