Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Spain, you would:
Health
be 80.4% less likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 24.5% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 30.3% fewer doctors per person
Spain has 42.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 79.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 30.2% more money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
have 51.1% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 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 46.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 15.3% less on education
Spain spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 46.1% less on healthcare
Spain spends 9.2% 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 73.4% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 68.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 2.9 times more electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 34.9 times more strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.0 times more CO2
Spain emits 4.5 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: Spain vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.