Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 4.2 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.8% less likely to be obese
In United States, 41.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
be 89.1% less likely to die by suicide
United States has a suicide rate of 15.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 72.3% less spent on your healthcare
United States spends $13,473 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 18.7% fewer doctors per person
United States has 36.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
Economy
be 48.3% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 44.2% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 82.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In United States, approximately 17.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.9% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.2% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 70.2% less on healthcare
United States spends 16.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 93.4% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 88.0% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 58.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In United States, road accidents kill 14.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 19.0% more electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates uses 15,285 kWh as of 2023.
live with 53.6 times more strain on fresh water
United States withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
be 5.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In United States, air pollution causes 14.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 34.1% more CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 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 States vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.