The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Algeria 24 times.
Algeria: 2,381,740 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 32% longer than Algeria’s.
Algeria: 998 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Algeria’s highest peak towers 1,003 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Algeria: 2,908 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Algeria has 4.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 47.4 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 8.1 times as densely populated as Algeria.
Algeria: 20 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Algeria are 1.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 175 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Algeria are 1.8 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 162.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 3 years older than in Algeria.
Algeria: 28.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Algeria have 1.5 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 2.72 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.8% of people in Algeria are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 6.8% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Algeria has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Algeria: 0.4 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Algeria and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Algeria: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 92% larger than Algeria’s.
Algeria: $287 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 4.3 times as much per person as Algeria.
Algeria: Int$18,586 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Algeria: no data · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in Algeria, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 11.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Algeria spends 8.0% of its GDP on the military, the United Arab Emirates 5.6%.
Algeria: 8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Algeria’s.
Algeria: 33% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 10 times as much on health per person as Algeria.
Algeria: $233 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.6 years longer than in Algeria.
Algeria: 76.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Algeria is 5.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 19.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 80% more doctors per person than Algeria.
Algeria: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 24% in Algeria.
Algeria: 24.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Algeria smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 22.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 1.11 points higher than in Algeria.
Algeria: 5.71 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates drink 52% more alcohol than in Algeria.
Algeria: 0.4 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 3 times as much meat per person as Algeria.
Algeria: 22.3 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Algeria has 271 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 3,396 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 282 more hours a year than in Algeria.
Algeria: 2,232 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 5.6 years longer than in Algeria.
Algeria: 7.4 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Algeria: no data · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 77% in Algeria.
Algeria: 77% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Algeria and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Algeria: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 76% in Algeria.
Algeria: 76% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Algeria 115.
Algeria: 115 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Algeria’s railway network is 14 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Algeria: 4,001 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 52 times as many passengers per resident as those from Algeria.
Algeria: 0.15 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates, but only 0.8% of Algeria.
Algeria: 0.8% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 4.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Algeria.
Algeria: 4.2 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
8.8% of the United Arab Emirates’ electricity is renewable, versus 1.1% in Algeria.
Algeria: 1.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Algeria.
Algeria: 14.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 67% more likely to be murdered in Algeria than in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 1.2 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Algeria are 3.1 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 18.3 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 4.2 °C warmer than Algeria.
Algeria: 24.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Algeria gets 23% more rain than the United Arab Emirates.
Algeria: 58 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Algeria bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Algeria is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Algeria 24 times.
Which has more people, Algeria or the United Arab Emirates?
Algeria has 4.1 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Algeria or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.6 years longer than in Algeria. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Algeria and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Algeria or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Algeria are 1.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
