The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Denmark fits inside the United Arab Emirates 2.3 times.
Denmark: 42,920 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Denmark’s coastline is 5.5 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Denmark: 7,314 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 1,734 m above Denmark’s.
Denmark: 171 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 92% more people than Denmark.
Denmark: 6.01 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 8% more densely populated than Denmark.
Denmark: 150 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Denmark are 7.8 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 181.9 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Denmark are 8.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 169.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Denmark is 10 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 41.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Denmark have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Denmark are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 21.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Denmark has produced 20.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Denmark: 20 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Denmark and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Denmark: 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 19% larger than Denmark’s.
Denmark: $463 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
Denmark produces 5% more per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: Int$83,218 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Denmark than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 3.5 points higher).
Denmark: 29.9 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.5% in Denmark, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 5.5% (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, Denmark 2.4%.
Denmark: 2.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Denmark’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× the United Arab Emirates’.
Denmark: 92% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Denmark spends 2.8 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: $6,745 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.82 years longer than in Denmark.
Denmark: 82.3 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 9% more likely to die before turning one than in Denmark.
Denmark: 3.5 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Denmark has 50% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 4.5 per 1,000 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 15% in Denmark.
Denmark: 15.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in Denmark smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 15.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Denmark rate their lives 0.72 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 7.54 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Denmark drink 15 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 9.5 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Denmark has 49% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 101.3 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Denmark has 609 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 3,734 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 1,135 more hours a year than in Denmark.
Denmark: 1,380 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Denmark and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Denmark: 13 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Denmark welcomed 5% more tourists per resident than the United Arab Emirates (2019).
Denmark: 2.4 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
The United Arab Emirates and Denmark are practically level.
Denmark: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Denmark and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Denmark: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Denmark live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 89% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Denmark 127.
Denmark: 127 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Denmark’s railway network is 9.6 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Denmark: 2,682 km (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Denmark: no data · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 16% of Denmark, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 15.8% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 4.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Denmark.
Denmark: 4.7 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
91% of Denmark’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 91.2% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 6.2 times as much fine dust as in Denmark.
Denmark: 9 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 21% more likely to be murdered in Denmark than in the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 2.6 times as deadly as in Denmark.
Denmark: 2.3 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 19.3 °C warmer than Denmark.
Denmark: 9.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Denmark gets 18 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Denmark: 845 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Denmark bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. Denmark fits inside the United Arab Emirates 2.3 times.
Which has more people, Denmark or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 92% more people than Denmark (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Denmark or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.82 years longer than in Denmark. Life expectancy at birth is 82.3 years in Denmark and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Denmark or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Denmark are 7.8 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
