Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Portugal instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 42.8% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Portugal, that number is 18.1% of people as of 2024.
see 32.2% more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Portugal spends $4,928 as of 2024.
have 95.6% more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Portugal has 58.5 as of 2022.
be 6.7 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 Portugal, it is 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Portugal, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
make 36.2% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Portugal, the GDP per capita is $32,082 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.9% 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 Portugal, on the other hand, 2.7 children do as of 2024.
be 5.0 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 Portugal, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
have 19.6% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Portugal, there are 7.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.5% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Portugal, about 88.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 17.0% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Portugal spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Portugal, that number is 10.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 36.0% more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Portugal, that number is 1,793 km.
Safety
be 22.0% 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 Portugal, they kill 7.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.8% more home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Portugal has 45.2 as of 2024.
live with 99.2% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Portugal withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 65.4% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Portugal uses 5,294 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 85.7% 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 Portugal, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 81.8% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Portugal emits 3.3 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. Portugal
Portugal: At a glance
How big is Portugal compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.