Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
Health
be 13.4% less likely to be obese
In United Arab Emirates, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
see 77.2% more spent on your healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 10.3% more doctors per person
United Arab Emirates has 29.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. United Kingdom has 33.0 as of 2023.
live 1.7 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 United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
be 5.6 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 United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 14.6% more money
United Arab Emirates has a GDP per capita of $50,274 as of 2024, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 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 United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.7 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 United Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 51.9% more on education
United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United Kingdom spends 5.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 2.2 times more on healthcare
United Arab Emirates spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 9.4 times more coastline
United Arab Emirates has a total of 1,318 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
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 United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 62.3% more likely to be murdered
United Arab Emirates has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In United Kingdom, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.0% less strain on fresh water
United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
use 72.6% less electricity
United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United Kingdom uses 4,195 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 81.4% 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 United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 76.9% less CO2
United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 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. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to United Arab Emirates? See an in-depth size comparison.