The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside India 33 times.
India: 3,287,260 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
India’s coastline is 5.3 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
India: 7,000 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
India’s highest peak towers 6,681 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
India: 8,586 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
India has 127 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
India: 1.46 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
India is 3 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
India: 492 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 7.6 cm taller than in India.
India: 166.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 5.3 cm taller than in India.
India: 155.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 3.2 years older than in India.
India: 28.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in India have 0.7 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 1.96 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.4% of people in India are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 7.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
India has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
India: 0.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
India has 3 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
India: 3 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
India’s economy is 7.2 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
India: $3.96 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 6.8 times as much per person as India.
India: Int$11,748 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Arab Emirates than in India (Gini 0.9 points higher).
India: 25.5 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in India, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 4.2% (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, India 2.3%.
India: 2.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 2.8× India’s.
India: 23% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 28 times as much on health per person as India.
India: $85 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 11 years longer than in India.
India: 72.2 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in India is 6.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 23.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 4.1 times as many doctors per person as India.
India: 0.7 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 8.0% in India.
India: 8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
23% of adults in India smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 22.6% (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 2.29 points higher than in India.
India: 4.54 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in India drink 8.1 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 5.2 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 8.4 times as much meat per person as India.
India: 8.1 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 457 kcal more food per person per day than India.
India: 2,669 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 132 more hours a year than in India.
India: 2,383 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 6.1 years longer than in India.
India: 6.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 337 times as many tourists per resident as India (2019).
India: 0.01 (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 70% in India.
India: 70% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Arab Emirates and India are practically level.
India: 99.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 36% in India.
India: 36% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, India 79.
India: 79 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
India’s railway network is 244 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
India: 68,103 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 64 times as many passengers per resident as those from India.
India: 0.12 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of India, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
India: 24.5% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 9.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in India.
India: 2.2 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of India’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 24.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 26% more fine dust than in India.
India: 44.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4.1 times as likely to be murdered in India as in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 2.8 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in India are 2.5 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
India: 14.6 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 4.4 °C warmer than India.
India: 24.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
India gets 27 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
India: 1,268 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is India bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
India is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside India 33 times.
Which has more people, India or the United Arab Emirates?
India has 127 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, India or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 11 years longer than in India. Life expectancy at birth is 72.2 years in India and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in India or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 7.6 cm taller than in India (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
