The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Japan 3.8 times.
Japan: 377,969 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 23 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Japan’s highest peak towers 1,871 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 11 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 123 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 2.1 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 338 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.0 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 172.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 2.0 cm taller than in Japan.
Japan: 158.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 18 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 49 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.1 more children on average than in Japan.
Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 30% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Japan: 2.4 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Japan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Japan: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 8 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 43% more per person than Japan.
Japan: Int$55,422 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Japan than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 5.9 points higher).
Japan: 32.3 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Japan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Japan: 2.5% (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, Japan 1.4%.
Japan: 1.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the United Arab Emirates’.
Japan: 65% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 51% more on health per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: $3,638 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 0.97 year longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 84 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 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 13% more doctors per person than Japan.
Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
Japan: 5.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 17.5% (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 0.69 points higher than in Japan.
Japan: 6.13 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 9.7 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 6.3 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 13% more meat per person than Japan.
Japan: 59.9 kg (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 455 kcal more food per person per day than Japan.
Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 861 more hours a year than in Japan.
Japan: 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 0.31 years longer than in Japan.
Japan: 12.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 7.7 times as many tourists per resident as Japan (2019).
Japan: 0.3 (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 86% in Japan.
Japan: 86% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Japan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Japan: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 92% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Japan 178.
Japan: 178 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 72 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Japan: 20,087 km (2011) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 8.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Japan.
Japan: 0.98 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 68.4% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Japan.
Japan: 7.8 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Japan’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 23.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 5.3 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3 times as likely to be murdered in the United Arab Emirates as in Japan.
Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 2.2 times as deadly as in Japan.
Japan: 2.7 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 16.1 °C warmer than Japan.
Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 39 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Japan bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Japan is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Japan 3.8 times.
Which has more people, Japan or the United Arab Emirates?
Japan has 11 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Japan or the United Arab Emirates?
People in Japan live 0.97 year longer than in the United Arab Emirates. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Japan and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Japan or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.0 cm taller than in Japan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
