Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 15.2 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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.
see 8.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 4.0 times more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 57.7% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 52.0% less likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 8.8 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 37.5 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
be 36.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
Life
be 98.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 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 42.4% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 89.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.
have 54.9% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 14.5% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.8% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 48.2% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% 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 86.7% more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 50.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4084.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 53.4 times more strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 36.5 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.