Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 58.7% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
live 9.8 years less
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 81.8% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
have 81.5% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Bhutan has 5.5 as of 2022.
have 26.8% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Bhutan scores 60 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.8% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 91.1% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
have 27.6% more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 15.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.3% less likely to be literate
In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 3.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.1% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 50.4% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Bhutan spends 5.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.6 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.9% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bhutan withdraws 1% as of 2022.
find 92.9% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 18.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 89.0% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.