Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Jamaica instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 11.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In United Arab Emirates, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 1.1% of people as of 2024.
live 11.5 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 Jamaica, that number is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 11.3% more likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 35.2% of people as of 2024.
see 76.7% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Jamaica spends $869 as of 2023.
have 84.6% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Jamaica has 4.6 as of 2023.
Economy
be 51.6% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Jamaica, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
make 84.1% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Jamaica, the GDP per capita is $8,003 as of 2025.
Life
have 16.6% more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Jamaica, there are 11.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 43.3 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 Jamaica, 130.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.3 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 Jamaica, on the other hand, 16.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Jamaica, that number is 88% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 84% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 41.6% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Jamaica spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 52.9% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Jamaica, that number is 7.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.5% less coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Jamaica, that number is 1,022 km.
Safety
be 71.7 times more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Jamaica, that number is 49.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 3.0 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 Jamaica, they kill 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Jamaica withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 60.9% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Jamaica has 16.0 as of 2024.
use 92.1% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 68.6% 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 Jamaica, it causes 22.0 as of 2019.
emit 84.4% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Jamaica emits 2.8 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: United Arab Emirates vs. Jamaica
Jamaica: At a glance
How big is Jamaica compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.