Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Iceland, you would:

Health

live 4.1 years less

In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

be 44.7% more likely to be obese

In Iceland, 21.9% of adults are obese as of 2016. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.7% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 13.7% more money

Iceland has a GDP per capita of $66,500 as of 2023, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $75,600 as of 2023.

be 23.9% less likely to be unemployed

In Iceland, 3.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line

In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In United Arab Emirates, however, that number is 19.5% as of 2003.

Life

be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Iceland, approximately 3.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In United Arab Emirates, 9.0 women do as of 2020.

be 3.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Iceland, approximately 1.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 5.1 children do as of 2022.

have 15.1% fewer children

In Iceland, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 49.4% less on education

Iceland spends 7.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 42.7% less on healthcare

Iceland spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 73.5% less coastline

Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

United Arab Emirates: At a glance

United Arab Emirates is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 83,600 sq km. The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Dhabi, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West European nations. Its high oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region. For more than three decades, oil and global finance drove the UAE's economy. However, in 2008-09, the confluence of falling oil prices, collapsing real estate prices, and the international banking crisis hit the UAE especially hard. The UAE has essentially avoided the "Arab Spring" unrest seen elsewhere in the Middle East, though in March 2011, political activists and intellectuals signed a petition calling for greater public participation in governance that was widely circulated on the Internet. In an effort to stem potential further unrest, the government announced a multi-year, $1.6-billion infrastructure investment plan for the poorer northern emirates and aggressively pursued advocates of political reform.
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How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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