The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Canada 158 times.
Canada: 15,634,400 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Canada’s coastline is 153 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Canada: 202,080 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Canada’s highest peak towers 4,054 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Canada: 5,959 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Canada has 3.6 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 41.7 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 34 times as densely populated as Canada.
Canada: 5 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Canada are 4.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 178.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Canada are 4.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Canada is 9.1 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 40.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Canada have 0.0 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 1.25 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Canada are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 20.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Canada has produced 5.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
Canada: 5.3 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Canada has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Canada: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Canada’s economy is 4.2 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Canada: $2.32 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 19% more per person than Canada.
Canada: Int$66,746 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Canada than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 5.1 points higher).
Canada: 31.5 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.9% in Canada, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 6.9% (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, Canada 1.3%.
Canada: 1.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Canada’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Arab Emirates’.
Canada: 83% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Canada spends 2.7 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: $6,378 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.96 year longer than in Canada.
Canada: 82.1 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Canada is 24% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 6% more doctors per person than Canada.
Canada: 2.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 27% in Canada.
Canada: 27.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Canada smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 11.2% (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 0.08 points higher than in Canada.
Canada: 6.74 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Canada drink 14 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 9.2 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Canada has 40% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 94.8 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Canada has 465 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 3,590 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 783 more hours a year than in Canada.
Canada: 1,731 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Canada went to school 0.88 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 13.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 4.7 times as many tourists per resident as Canada (2019).
Canada: 0.48 (2024) · 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 94% in Canada.
Canada: 94% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Canada and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Canada: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 83% in Canada.
Canada: 83% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Canada 94.
Canada: 94 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Canada’s railway network is 173 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Canada: 48,150 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 3.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Canada.
Canada: 2.13 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 39% of Canada, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 39.5% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 50% more CO₂ than someone in Canada.
Canada: 13.4 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
64% of Canada’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 63.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 8 times as much fine dust as in Canada.
Canada: 7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.9 times as likely to be murdered in Canada as in the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 2 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 26% deadlier than in Canada.
Canada: 4.7 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 31.8 °C warmer than Canada.
Canada: -3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Canada gets 15 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Canada: 683 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Canada bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Canada is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Canada 158 times.
Which has more people, Canada or the United Arab Emirates?
Canada has 3.6 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Canada or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.96 year longer than in Canada. Life expectancy at birth is 82.1 years in Canada and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Canada or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Canada are 4.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
