The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bahrain fits inside the United Arab Emirates 123 times.
Bahrain: 800 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 8.2 times as long as Bahrain’s.
Bahrain: 161 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 1,770 m above Bahrain’s.
Bahrain: 135 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 7.2 times as many people as Bahrain.
Bahrain: 1.6 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bahrain is 12 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 2,000 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 1.3 cm taller than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 172.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 2.2 cm taller than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 158.3 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Bahrain is 1.6 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 32.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bahrain have 0.6 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 1.81 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.0% of people in Bahrain are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Bahrain: 0 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Bahrain: 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 11 times the size of Bahrain’s.
Bahrain: $49 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 12% more per person than Bahrain.
Bahrain: Int$70,997 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Bahrain: no data · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates, versus 1.1% in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 1.1% (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, Bahrain 2.9%.
Bahrain: 2.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Bahrain’s.
Bahrain: 43% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 2 times as much on health per person as Bahrain.
Bahrain: $1,176 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.6 years longer than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 81.4 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bahrain is 92% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 7.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 4 times as many doctors per person as Bahrain.
Bahrain: 0.7 per 1,000 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
36% of adults in Bahrain are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 35.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
15% of adults in Bahrain smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 15.4% (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 0.57 points higher than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 6.25 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Bahrain drink 3.1 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 2 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Bahrain has 12% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 76.3 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Bahrain has 298 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 3,423 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 462 more hours a year than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 2,052 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 1.9 years longer than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 11.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Bahrain welcomed 82% more tourists per resident than the United Arab Emirates (2019).
Bahrain: 4.17 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Bahrain: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Bahrain: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Bahrain live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 100% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bahrain 160.
Bahrain: 160 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Bahrain: no data · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 2.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bahrain.
Bahrain: 3.58 (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 0.9% of Bahrain.
Bahrain: 1% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Bahrain emits 21% more CO₂ than someone in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 24.3 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 0.3% in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 0.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 16% more fine dust than in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 48.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.5 times as likely to be murdered in the United Arab Emirates as in Bahrain.
Bahrain: 0.2 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bahrain are 37% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 8.1 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 2.2 °C warmer than Bahrain.
Bahrain: 26.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Bahrain gets 30% more rain than the United Arab Emirates.
Bahrain: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Bahrain bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. Bahrain fits inside the United Arab Emirates 123 times.
Which has more people, Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 7.2 times as many people as Bahrain (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.6 years longer than in Bahrain. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in Bahrain and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Bahrain or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 1.3 cm taller than in Bahrain (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
