The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Australia 78 times.
Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Australia’s coastline is 20 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Australia: 25,760 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Australia’s highest peak towers 323 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Australia: 2,228 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Australia has 2.4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 27.6 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 45 times as densely populated as Australia.
Australia: 4 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Australia are 4.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 178.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Australia are 4.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Australia is 6.5 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 37.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Australia have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 1.48 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in Australia are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 18.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Australia has produced 3.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Australia: 3.6 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Australia and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Australia: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Australia’s economy is 3.3 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Australia: $1.8 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 10% more per person than Australia.
Australia: Int$71,934 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Australia than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7.4 points higher).
Australia: 33.8 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.1% in Australia, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 4.1% (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, Australia 1.9%.
Australia: 1.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Australia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the United Arab Emirates’.
Australia: 91% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Australia spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: $6,980 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
The United Arab Emirates and Australia are practically level.
Australia: 83.1 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Arab Emirates is 23% more likely to die before turning one than in Australia.
Australia: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Australia has 37% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 4.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
32% of adults in Australia are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 32.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in Australia smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 11.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Australia rate their lives 0.10 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 6.92 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Australia drink 16 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 10.5 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Australia has 72% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 116.8 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Australia has 437 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 3,562 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 903 more hours a year than in Australia.
Australia: 1,611 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 0.12 years longer than in Australia.
Australia: 12.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Australia: 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 96% in Australia.
Australia: 96% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Australia and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Australia: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
88% of people in Australia live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 88% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Australia 113.
Australia: 113 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Australia’s railway network is 117 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Australia: 32,606 km (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 3.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Australia.
Australia: 2.5 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Australia, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 17.4% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in Australia.
Australia: 14.5 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
39% of Australia’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 38.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 10 times as much fine dust as in Australia.
Australia: 5.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 23% more likely to be murdered in Australia than in the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 31% deadlier than in Australia.
Australia: 4.5 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 6.3 °C warmer than Australia.
Australia: 22.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Australia gets 9.5 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Australia: 447 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Australia bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Australia is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Australia 78 times.
Which has more people, Australia or the United Arab Emirates?
Australia has 2.4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Australia or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates and Australia are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in Australia and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Australia or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Australia are 4.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
