The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Israel fits inside the United Arab Emirates 4.5 times.
Israel: 22,070 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 4.8 times as long as Israel’s.
Israel: 273 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Israel’s highest peak towers 331 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Israel: 2,236 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 14% more people than Israel.
Israel: 10.1 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Israel is 2.9 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 468 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Israel are 1.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 176 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Israel are 1.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 162.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 2.1 years older than in Israel.
Israel: 29.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Israel have 1.7 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 2.87 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
13% of people in Israel are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 12.7% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Israel has produced 5.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Israel: 5.9 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Israel has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Israel: 2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Israel’s economy is 11% larger than the United Arab Emirates’.
Israel: $611 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 33% more per person than Israel.
Israel: Int$59,717 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Israel than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 11.9 points higher).
Israel: 38.3 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.5% in Israel, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 3.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Israel spends 8.8% of its GDP on the military, the United Arab Emirates 5.6%.
Israel: 8.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Israel’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× the United Arab Emirates’.
Israel: 101% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Israel spends 64% more on health per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: $3,928 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
Israel and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Israel: 83.2 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 41% more likely to die before turning one than in Israel.
Israel: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Israel has 27% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 23% in Israel.
Israel: 23.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Israel smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 21.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Israel rate their lives 0.37 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 7.19 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Israel drink 6.5 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 4.2 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Israel has 60% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 108.7 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Israel has 629 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 3,754 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 624 more hours a year than in Israel.
Israel: 1,890 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Israel went to school 0.54 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 13.5 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 24 times as many tourists per resident as Israel (2019).
Israel: 0.1 (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 88% in Israel.
Israel: 88% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Israel and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Israel: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Israel live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 92% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Israel 177.
Israel: 177 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Israel’s railway network is 6.2 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Israel: 1,720 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from Israel.
Israel: 0.73 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 6.5% of Israel, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 6.5% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Israel.
Israel: 5.6 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
17% of Israel’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 16.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Israel.
Israel: 20.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.3 times as likely to be murdered in Israel as in the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 1.6 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 40% deadlier than in Israel.
Israel: 4.2 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 7.7 °C warmer than Israel.
Israel: 21.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Israel gets 4.4 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Israel: 205 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Israel bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. Israel fits inside the United Arab Emirates 4.5 times.
Which has more people, Israel or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 14% more people than Israel (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Israel or the United Arab Emirates?
Israel and the United Arab Emirates are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Israel and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Israel or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Israel are 1.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
