The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside China 97 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 11 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 6,944 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 122 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 8% more densely populated than China.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in China are 1.6 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 2.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in China is 7.8 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.2 more children on average than in China.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
15% of people in China are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 14.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
China: 0.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
China and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
China: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 35 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 2.7 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in China than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 9.6 points higher).
China: 36 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 4.6% (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, China 1.7%.
China: 1.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.3× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 3.1 times as much on health per person as China.
China: $763 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 5.1 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in China is 8% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
China has 4% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 9.1% in China.
China: 9.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in China smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 22.8% (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 0.75 points higher than in China.
China: 6.07 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 5.7 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
China has 8% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 402 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 187 more hours a year than in China.
China: 2,328 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 5 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 49 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · 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 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132.
China: 132 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 393 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 18 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 24% of China, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
China: 24% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 2.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in China.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 37% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 78% more fine dust than in China.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 38% more likely to be murdered in the United Arab Emirates than in China.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in China are 2.9 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
China: 17.4 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 21.0 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
China gets 17 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
China is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside China 97 times.
Which has more people, China or the United Arab Emirates?
China has 122 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 5.1 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in China or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in China are 1.6 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
