The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates is 40% bigger than Ireland.
Ireland: 70,280 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 10% longer than the United Arab Emirates’.
Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 864 m above Ireland’s.
Ireland: 1,041 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 2.1 times as many people as Ireland.
Ireland: 5.48 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 2 times as densely populated as Ireland.
Ireland: 80 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 5.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 179 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 4.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 7.2 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 38.4 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Ireland have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 16.2% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Ireland: 9.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ireland has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Ireland: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 31% larger than the United Arab Emirates’.
Ireland: $722 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 2 times as much per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ireland than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 2.6 points higher).
Ireland: 29 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Ireland, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 4.6% (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, Ireland 0.2%.
Ireland: 0.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Arab Emirates’.
Ireland: 85% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 3.1 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: $7,395 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
The United Arab Emirates and Ireland are practically level.
Ireland: 83 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 12% more likely to die before turning one than in Ireland.
Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 30% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
Ireland and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Ireland: 30.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 18.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 0.11 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 6.93 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 16 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 45% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 796 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 860 more hours a year than in Ireland.
Ireland: 1,654 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 1.3 years longer than in Ireland.
Ireland: 11.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 4% more tourists per resident than Ireland (2019).
Ireland: 2.2 (2019) · 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 97% in Ireland.
Ireland: 97% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ireland and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Ireland: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 65% in Ireland.
Ireland: 65% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ireland 113.
Ireland: 113 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Ireland’s railway network is 5.9 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Ireland: 1,650 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 4.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 35.11 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 12% of Ireland, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 11.5% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3.2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ireland.
Ireland: 6.3 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
48% of Ireland’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 48.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 7.5 times as much fine dust as in Ireland.
Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6% more likely to be murdered in the United Arab Emirates than in Ireland.
Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 2.1 times as deadly as in Ireland.
Ireland: 2.8 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 18.5 °C warmer than Ireland.
Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ireland gets 24 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Ireland: 1,139 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ireland bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. The United Arab Emirates is 40% bigger than Ireland.
Which has more people, Ireland or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.1 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ireland or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates and Ireland are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years in Ireland and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Ireland or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Ireland are 5.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
