Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 73.5% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 36.3% more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 12.8% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 16.1 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 South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.5% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 27.9% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 39.5% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
be 33.3% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
have 52.1% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.1% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 74.6% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 83.1% more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 30.4% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 16.9% 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 South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 17.0% more home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
live with 94.4% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
use 25.7% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 72.9% 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 South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 37.8% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 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. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.