Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 87.6% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 80.5% more likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 52.0% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 32.1% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 75.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 20.4% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 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 Sweden, 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.
be 90.0% more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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 46.9% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 55.7% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% 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 59.0% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 40.0% less likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 25.0% more electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 421.8 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 8.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.1 times more CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 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: Sweden vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.