Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:

Health

be 88.6% less likely to be obese

In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.

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live 15.2 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 87.6% less spent on your healthcare

United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.

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have 74.9% fewer doctors per person

United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.

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have 36.6% less access to essential health services

United Arab Emirates scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 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 Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 26.7% less likely to be unemployed

In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.

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make 97.3% less money

United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.2 times more children

In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 64.0 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 29.8% less likely to be literate

In United Arab Emirates, the literacy rate is 98.8% as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.

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be 9.1 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 59.2% less likely to have internet access

In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.

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be 12.7% less likely to have access to drinking water

In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 34.7% more on education

United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 93.2% more on healthcare

United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 46.4% less coastline

United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.

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Safety

be 2.0 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 Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 98.1% less strain on fresh water

United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.

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find 100.0% less home broadband

United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 12.9% 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 Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.

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emit 97.3% less CO2

United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Timor-Leste

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Timor-Leste is 14.2% cheaper than United Arab Emirates overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
United Arab Emirates is about 6 times bigger than Timor-Leste.
→
Moving from United Arab Emirates to Timor-Leste · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Timor-Leste: At a glance

Timor-Leste is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 14,874 sq km. The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early 16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975 and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia. However, in the next three weeks, anti-independence Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. Most of the country's infrastructure, including homes, irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly 100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20 September 1999, Australian-led peacekeeping troops deployed to the country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state. In 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's security when a military strike led to violence and a breakdown of law and order. At Dili's request, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste, and the UN Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing for presidential and parliamentary elections in 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere. In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed in the attack, and most of the rebels surrendered in April 2008. Since the attack, the government has enjoyed one of its longest periods of post-independence stability, including successful 2012 elections for both the parliament and president. In late 2012, the UN Security Council voted to end its peacekeeping mission in Timor-Leste and both the ISF and UNMIT departed the country by the end of the year.
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