The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Greece is 34% bigger than the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 131,960 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Greece’s coastline is 10 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Greece: 13,676 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Greece’s highest peak towers 1,012 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Greece: 2,917 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Greece, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 38.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 11% more people than Greece
Greece: 10.4 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 2 times as densely populated as Greece
Greece: 81 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Greece are 5.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 179.3 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Greece are 5.3 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 165.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Greece is 15 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 45.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Greece and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Greece: 1.24 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Greece are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 24.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Greece hosts 108 times as many refugees per resident as the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 12.9 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Greece has produced 1.0 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Greece: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Greece and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Greece: 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 2 times the size of Greece’s
Greece: $281 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 75% more per person than Greece
Greece: Int$45,264 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Greece than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7 points higher)
Greece: 33.4 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.6% of people in Greece live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 0.6% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.5% in Greece, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 8.5% (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, Greece 3.0%
Greece: 3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Greece’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Greece: 27.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Greece’s
Greece: 60% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 22% more on health per person than Greece
Greece: $1,963 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.2 years longer than in Greece
Greece: 81.8 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 19% more likely to die before turning one than in Greece
Greece: 3.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Greece has 2.2 times as many doctors per person as the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 6.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Greece has 2.3 times as many hospital beds per person as the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 4.3 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Greece is 39% higher than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 3.9 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
34% of adults in Greece are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 33.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Greece smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 30.2% (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 1.12 points higher than in Greece
Greece: 5.70 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Greece drink 13 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 8.6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Greece has 21% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 82 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Greece has 257 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 3,382 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 621 more hours a year than in Greece
Greece: 1,893 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 1.4 years longer than in Greece
Greece: 11.6 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Greece welcomed 17% more tourists per resident than the United Arab Emirates (2019)
Greece: 2.67 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Greece has 18 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (21 against 3)
Greece: 21 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Greece has won 129 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Greece: 129 (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 86% in Greece
Greece: 86% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 92% faster than in Greece
Greece: 186 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Greece and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Greece: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 79% in Greece
Greece: 79% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Greece 114
Greece: 114 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Greece’s railway network is 8.4 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Greece: 2,339 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Greece
Greece: 1.83 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Greece, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 36.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Greece
Greece: 5.3 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
50% of Greece’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 49.7% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.7 times as much fine dust as in Greece
Greece: 15.1 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 Greece than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 0.8 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Greece are 57% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 10.8 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 13.1 °C warmer than Greece
Greece: 15.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Greece gets 17 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Greece: 800 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 Greece bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Greece is larger. Greece is 34% bigger than the United Arab Emirates.
Which has more people, Greece or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 11% more people than Greece (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Greece or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.2 years longer than in Greece. Life expectancy at birth is 81.8 years in Greece and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Greece or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Greece are 5.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
