Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Singapore, you would:
Health
be 78.9% less likely to die by suicide
Singapore has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 86.1% more likely to be obese
In Singapore, 17.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 43.1% less spent on your healthcare
Singapore spends $6,551 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
Economy
be 23.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Singapore, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 49.1% less money
Singapore has a GDP per capita of $98,814 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 50.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Singapore, approximately 6.0 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.
have 32.7% more children
In Singapore, there are approximately 7.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 72.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Singapore, approximately 2.2 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.
Expenditures
spend 77.6% more on education
Singapore spends 2.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 10.7% more on healthcare
Singapore spends 4.5% 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 6.8 times more coastline
Singapore has a total of 193 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 9.9 times more likely to be murdered
Singapore has a homicide rate of 0.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Singapore, road accidents kill 1.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.9% more home broadband
Singapore has 27.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
use 56.8% more electricity
Singapore uses 9,750 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 45.4 times more strain on fresh water
Singapore withdraws 33% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Singapore, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 87.3% more CO2
Singapore emits 9.8 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), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Singapore vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Singapore? See an in-depth size comparison.