The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Germany 3.6 times.
Germany: 357,680 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Germany’s coastline is 81% longer than the United Arab Emirates’.
Germany: 2,389 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Germany’s highest peak towers 1,058 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Germany: 2,963 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Germany has 7.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 83.5 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Germany is 47% more densely populated than the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 239 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Germany are 6.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 180.3 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Germany are 5.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 166.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Germany is 14 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 45.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Germany have 0.1 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 1.36 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Germany are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 23.7% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Germany has produced 10.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
Germany: 10.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Germany and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Germany: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Germany’s economy is 9.1 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Germany: $5.05 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 5% more per person than Germany.
Germany: Int$75,407 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Germany than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7.3 points higher).
Germany: 33.7 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.7% in Germany, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 3.7% (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, Germany 1.9%.
Germany: 1.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Germany’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Arab Emirates’.
Germany: 80% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Germany spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: $6,849 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 2.3 years longer than in Germany.
Germany: 80.8 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 23% more likely to die before turning one than in Germany.
Germany: 3.1 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Germany has 52% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 4.5 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 24% in Germany.
Germany: 24.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Germany smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 22% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Germany rate their lives 0.06 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 6.88 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Germany drink 17 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 10.9 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Germany has 4% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 70.7 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Germany has 409 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 3,535 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 1,179 more hours a year than in Germany.
Germany: 1,335 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Germany went to school 1.3 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 14.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 5.1 times as many tourists per resident as Germany (2019).
Germany: 0.45 (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 Germany.
Germany: 94% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Germany and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Germany: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 82% in Germany.
Germany: 82% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Germany 129.
Germany: 129 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Germany’s railway network is 120 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Germany: 33,401 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 8.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Germany.
Germany: 0.96 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Germany, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 32.7% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Germany.
Germany: 6.8 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
59% of Germany’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 59.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 6.1 times as much fine dust as in Germany.
Germany: 9.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 31% more likely to be murdered in Germany than in the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 0.9 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 79% deadlier than in Germany.
Germany: 3.3 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 18.6 °C warmer than Germany.
Germany: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Germany gets 19 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Germany: 871 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Germany bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Germany is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Germany 3.6 times.
Which has more people, Germany or the United Arab Emirates?
Germany has 7.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Germany or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 2.3 years longer than in Germany. Life expectancy at birth is 80.8 years in Germany and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Germany or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Germany are 6.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
