Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Hong Kong instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:

Health

live 2.3 years longer

In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 13.3% more money

United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.

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be 29.0% more likely to be unemployed

In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

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Life

be 32.9% less 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 Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

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have 50.1% fewer children

In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Geography

see 44.4% less coastline

United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.

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Safety

be 44.9% less likely to be murdered

United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 0.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

use 58.4% less electricity

United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 74.8% less CO2

United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Hong Kong

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Hong Kong is 55.1% more expensive than United Arab Emirates overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
United Arab Emirates is about 75 times bigger than Hong Kong.
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Moving from United Arab Emirates to Hong Kong · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Hong Kong: At a glance

Hong Kong (sometimes abbreviated HK) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,073 sq km. Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Hong Kong compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.

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