Quality of life comparison
If you lived in China instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 70.6% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In China, that number is 9.3% of people as of 2024.
live 5.0 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 China, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 60.1% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). China spends $1,487 as of 2023.
be 5.2 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 China, it is 8.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In China, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
make 72.4% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in China, the GDP per capita is $13,862 as of 2025.
Life
be 5.3 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 China, 16.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.1% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.5% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In China, that number is 5.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 11.0 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.
Safety
be 27.5% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In China, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 2.9 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 China, they kill 17.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.5% more home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. China has 47.2 as of 2024.
live with 97.3% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. China withdraws 42% as of 2022.
use 57.3% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. China uses 6,524 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 49.0% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. China emits 9.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. China
China: At a glance
How big is China compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.