Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 65.5% less likely to die by suicide
United Arab Emirates has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.5 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 Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 96.7% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
have 49.2% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 22.0% less access to essential health services
United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 97.9% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.7 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 53.4% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 45.5% less on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 85.4% less coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Syria, that number is 193 km.
Safety
be 5.1 times 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 Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.8% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
find 83.2% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
use 94.4% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 93.0% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 18.6% 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 Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.