The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Argentina 28 times
Argentina: 2,780,400 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Argentina’s coastline is 3.8 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Argentina: 4,989 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Argentina’s highest peak towers 5,057 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Argentina: 6,962 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 30% of Argentina, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 29.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Argentina has 4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 45.9 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 9.7 times as densely populated as Argentina
Argentina: 17 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Argentina and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Argentina: 174.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Argentina and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Argentina: 161.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Argentina is 0.89 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 32.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Argentina have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 1.5 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
13% of people in Argentina are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 12.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Arab Emirates hosts 11% more refugees per resident than Argentina
Argentina: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Argentina has produced 0.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Argentina: 0.9 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Argentina has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1
Argentina: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Argentina’s economy is 24% larger than the United Arab Emirates’
Argentina: $683 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 2.4 times as much per person as Argentina
Argentina: Int$32,587 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Argentina than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 16 points higher)
Argentina: 42.4 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.0% of people in Argentina live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.1% in Argentina, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 7.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, Argentina 0.6%
Argentina: 0.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Argentina’s central government collects 10% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Argentina: 10.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Argentina’s
Argentina: 46% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 65% more on health per person than Argentina
Argentina: $1,457 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 5.5 years longer than in Argentina
Argentina: 77.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Argentina is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Argentina has 71% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 5.1 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Argentina has 80% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 3.4 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Argentina is 4 times that in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 11.2 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Argentina are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 38.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Argentina smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 23.5% (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 0.39 points higher than in Argentina
Argentina: 6.43 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Argentina drink 11 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 7.1 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Argentina has 69% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 115 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Argentina has 235 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 3,360 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 902 more hours a year than in Argentina
Argentina: 1,612 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 1.8 years longer than in Argentina
Argentina: 11.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as Argentina (2019)
Argentina: 0.14 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Argentina has 9 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (12 against 3)
Argentina: 12 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Argentina has won 80 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Argentina: 80 (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 90% in Argentina
Argentina: 90% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 86% faster than in Argentina
Argentina: 192 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 98% in Argentina
Argentina: 98.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Argentina live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 92% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Argentina 140
Argentina: 140 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Argentina’s railway network is 64 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Argentina: 17,866 km (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 17 times as many passengers per resident as those from Argentina
Argentina: 0.46 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Argentina, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 17.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Argentina
Argentina: 3.7 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
35% of Argentina’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 34.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in Argentina
Argentina: 14.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.5 times as likely to be murdered in Argentina as in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 4.5 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Argentina are 2.4 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 16.3 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 6.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 13.7 °C warmer than Argentina
Argentina: 15.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Argentina gets 14 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Argentina: 670 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Argentina bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Argentina is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Argentina 28 times.
Which has more people, Argentina or the United Arab Emirates?
Argentina has 4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Argentina or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 5.5 years longer than in Argentina. Life expectancy at birth is 77.5 years in Argentina and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Argentina or the United Arab Emirates?
Argentina and the United Arab Emirates are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
