Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
live 1.3 years longer
In United Arab Emirates, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 64.3% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
have 49.6% more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Switzerland has 44.8 as of 2022.
be 8.2 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 Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.3 times more money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 10.5% 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 Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
be 66.7% 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 Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
have 11.4% fewer children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.9% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Switzerland spends 4.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.0% less likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 59.3% 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 Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.1% more home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 99.6% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 53.4% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Switzerland uses 7,117 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 Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 79.5% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.