Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 29.7% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
live 12.9 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 66.1% less spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 35.5% fewer doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
be 4.0 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 Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 96.8% more likely to be unemployed
In United Arab Emirates, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 87.0% less money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In United Arab Emirates, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 8.0 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 74.7% less likely to have internet access
In United Arab Emirates, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 10.7% more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.6% 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 Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 91.0% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
find 87.2% less home broadband
United Arab Emirates has 40.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
use 81.8% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Turkmenistan uses 2,778 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 40.5% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
be 24.3% 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 Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: United Arab Emirates vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.