Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Maldives instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 43.5% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Maldives, that number is 17.9% of people as of 2024.
be 14.0% less likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Maldives, it is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.8 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 Maldives, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 38.6% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Maldives spends $2,288 as of 2023.
have 25.6% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Maldives scores 61 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 Maldives, that number is 4.5% as of 2025.
make 70.9% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Maldives, the GDP per capita is $14,615 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.7 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 Maldives, 32.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.7% 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 Maldives, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.8% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Maldives, about 85.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.9% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Maldives spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 86.1% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Maldives, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 51.1% less coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Maldives, that number is 644 km.
Safety
be 10.1% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Maldives, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 78.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In United Arab Emirates, road accidents kill 5.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Maldives, they kill 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Maldives withdraws 16% as of 2022.
find 51.9% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Maldives has 19.6 as of 2024.
Environment
be 58.6% 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 Maldives, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.4% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Maldives
Maldives: At a glance
How big is Maldives compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.