Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
have 14.6% more doctors per person
South Korea has 26.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
be 93.8% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.8 times more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 26.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
Economy
be 19.0% less likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 38.8% more money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 25.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, 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.
have 2.1 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 65.2% more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 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.
Expenditures
spend 28.1% less on education
South Korea spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 42.7% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 45.4% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 14.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 43.7% more likely to be murdered
South Korea has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
Infrastructure
use 34.7% more electricity
South Korea uses 11,350 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
find 14.6% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 17.7 times more strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 3.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.7% more CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 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: South Korea vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.