The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Guatemala is 10% bigger than the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 108,890 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 3.3 times as long as Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 400 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Guatemala’s highest peak towers 2,315 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Guatemala: 4,220 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Guatemala has 62% more people than the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 18.7 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Guatemala is 8% more densely populated than the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 174 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 9.7 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 164.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 9.6 cm taller than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 150.9 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 8.6 years older than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 22.6 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Guatemala have 1.1 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 2.29 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
5.0% of people in Guatemala are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Guatemala has produced 1.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Guatemala: 1.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Guatemala and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Guatemala: 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 4.5 times the size of Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: $123 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 5.2 times as much per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: Int$15,197 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Guatemala than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 18.8 points higher).
Guatemala: 45.2 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Guatemala and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Guatemala: 2.6% (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, Guatemala 0.4%.
Guatemala: 0.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Guatemala’s.
Guatemala: 43% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 6.1 times as much on health per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: $392 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 10 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 72.7 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Guatemala is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 17.2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 27% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 26.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
11% of adults in Guatemala smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 11.2% (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 0.29 points higher than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 6.53 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Guatemala drink 4.8 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 3.1 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 25% more meat per person than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 54.3 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 302 kcal more food per person per day than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,823 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 364 more hours a year than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 2,151 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 7.1 years longer than in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 5.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 27 times as many tourists per resident as Guatemala (2019).
Guatemala: 0.08 (2022) · 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 60% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 60% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 91% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 90.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 56% in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 56% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Guatemala 113.
Guatemala: 113 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Guatemala’s railway network is 2.9 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Guatemala: 800 km (2018) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 667 times as many passengers per resident as those from Guatemala.
Guatemala: 0.01 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Guatemala, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 32.6% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 19 times as much CO₂ as someone in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 1.1 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
68% of Guatemala’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 68.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Guatemala.
Guatemala: 27.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 34 times as likely to be murdered in Guatemala as in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 23.4 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Guatemala are 2.1 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 12.6 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 5.1 °C warmer than Guatemala.
Guatemala: 23.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Guatemala gets 39 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Guatemala: 1,811 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Guatemala bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Guatemala is larger. Guatemala is 10% bigger than the United Arab Emirates.
Which has more people, Guatemala or the United Arab Emirates?
Guatemala has 62% more people than the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Guatemala or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 10 years longer than in Guatemala. Life expectancy at birth is 72.7 years in Guatemala and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Guatemala or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 9.7 cm taller than in Guatemala (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
