Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 62.2% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
live 9.3 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 North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
have 17.1% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 5.4 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 North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 63.1% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
have 31.0% more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.3 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 North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 89.3% more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 98.2% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
use 94.8% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. North Korea uses 789 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 86.3% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 22.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In United Arab Emirates, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
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. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.