If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Qatar, you would:

Health

be 24.8% less likely to be obese

In Qatar, 42.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.

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see 28.5% more spent on your healthcare

Qatar spends $2,901 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.

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be 63.6% less likely to die by suicide

Qatar has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 16.7 times more likely to be unemployed

In Qatar, 0.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.

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make 30.7% less money

Qatar has a GDP per capita of $72,525 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.

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Life

be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Qatar, approximately 4.0 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.

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be 20.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Qatar, approximately 4.8 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.

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Expenditures

spend 20.4% more on education

Qatar spends 3.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

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spend 97.2% more on healthcare

Qatar spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.3 times more coastline

Qatar has a total of 563 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

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Safety

be 19.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Qatar, road accidents kill 7.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 9.9 times more likely to be murdered

Qatar has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.

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Infrastructure

find 3.5 times more home broadband

Qatar has 11.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.

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live with 3.5 times more strain on fresh water

Qatar withdraws 431% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.

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use 23.4% less electricity

Qatar uses 19,963 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

be 23.1% less likely to die from air pollution

In Qatar, air pollution causes 91.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.

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emit 61.4% less CO2

Qatar emits 47.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

United Arab Emirates: At a glance

United Arab Emirates is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 83,600 sq km. The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its high oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. However, in 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE has essentially avoided the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East, though in March 2011, political activists and intellectuals signed a petition calling for greater public participation in governance that was widely circulated on the Internet. In an effort to stem potential further unrest, the government announced a multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates and aggressively pursued advocates of political reform.
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How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Qatar? See an in-depth size comparison.

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