The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Chile 7.7 times
Chile: 756,556 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Chile’s coastline is 4.9 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Chile: 6,435 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Chile’s highest peak towers 4,988 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Chile: 6,893 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 14% of Chile, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 14.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Chile has 72% more people than the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 19.9 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 6.1 times as densely populated as Chile
Chile: 27 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 1.2 cm taller than in Chile
Chile: 172.9 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 1.1 cm taller than in Chile
Chile: 159.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Chile is 4.7 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 36 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.1 more children on average than in Chile
Chile: 1.14 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in Chile are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 14.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Chile hosts 11% more refugees per resident than the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Chile has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Chile: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Chile and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Chile: 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 55% larger than Chile’s
Chile: $357 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 2.1 times as much per person as Chile
Chile: Int$37,774 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Chile than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 16.6 points higher)
Chile: 43 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Chile and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Chile: 0.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.0% in Chile, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 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, Chile 1.5%
Chile: 1.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Chile’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Chile: 18.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Chile’s
Chile: 48% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 36% more on health per person than Chile
Chile: $1,760 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.7 years longer than in Chile
Chile: 81.4 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Chile is 53% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 5.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Chile has 11% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Chile has 4% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 1.9 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Chile is 3.3 times that in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 9.1 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
41% of adults in Chile are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 41.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
27% of adults in Chile smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 26.7% (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 0.52 points higher than in Chile
Chile: 6.30 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Chile drink 10 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 6.6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Chile has 45% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 98.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 68 kcal more food per person per day than Chile
Chile: 3,057 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 565 more hours a year than in Chile
Chile: 1,950 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 1.7 years longer than in Chile
Chile: 11.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 8.6 times as many tourists per resident as Chile (2019)
Chile: 0.27 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Chile has 4 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (7 against 3)
Chile: 7 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Chile has won 15 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Chile: 15 (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 96% in Chile
Chile: 96% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Chile is 18% faster than in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 422 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 99% in Chile
Chile: 99% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Chile live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 89% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Chile 133
Chile: 133 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Chile’s railway network is 8.6 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Chile: 2,396 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 7.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Chile
Chile: 1.07 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of Chile, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 24.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Chile
Chile: 4 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
66% of Chile’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 66.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in Chile
Chile: 23.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 9.2 times as likely to be murdered in Chile as in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 6.3 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Chile are 2.4 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 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 19.4 °C warmer than Chile
Chile: 9.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Chile gets 30 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Chile: 1,425 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 Chile bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Chile is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Chile 7.7 times.
Which has more people, Chile or the United Arab Emirates?
Chile has 72% more people than the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Chile or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.7 years longer than in Chile. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in Chile and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Chile or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 1.2 cm taller than in Chile (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
