The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Kazakhstan 28 times
Kazakhstan: 2,724,900 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Kazakhstan: 0 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kazakhstan’s highest peak towers 5,105 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Kazakhstan: 7,010 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 79% of Kazakhstan, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 79.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kazakhstan has 81% more people than the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 20.8 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 21 times as densely populated as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 8 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kazakhstan are 1.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 175.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kazakhstan are 1.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 161.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 1.8 years older than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 29.5 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kazakhstan have 1.8 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 2.98 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.0% of people in Kazakhstan are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Kazakhstan hosts 76% more refugees per resident than the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Kazakhstan: 0 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kazakhstan has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1
Kazakhstan: 2 (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 80% larger than Kazakhstan’s
Kazakhstan: $306 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 79% more per person than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: Int$44,294 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kazakhstan than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 2.8 points higher)
Kazakhstan: 29.2 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Kazakhstan: 0% (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.8% in Kazakhstan, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 4.8% (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, Kazakhstan 0.4%
Kazakhstan: 0.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kazakhstan’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Kazakhstan: 11.9% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Kazakhstan’s
Kazakhstan: 33% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 4.9 times as much on health per person as Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: $490 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.5 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 74.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kazakhstan is 95% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 7.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kazakhstan has 25% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 3.8 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kazakhstan has 3.5 times as many hospital beds per person as the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 6.5 per 1,000 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kazakhstan is 6.5 times that in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 18.2 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 22% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 22.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Kazakhstan smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 21.1% (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 0.19 points higher than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 6.63 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Kazakhstan drink 9.3 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 5% more meat per person than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 64.9 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Kazakhstan: 3,136 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 540 more hours a year than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 1,975 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 0.44 years longer than in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 12.5 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 4.5 times as many tourists per resident as Kazakhstan (2019)
Kazakhstan: 0.5 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Kazakhstan has 4 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (7 against 3)
Kazakhstan: 7 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kazakhstan has won 87 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Kazakhstan: 87 (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 93% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 93% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 2.2 times as fast as in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 165 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Kazakhstan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Kazakhstan: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 62% in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 62% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kazakhstan 127
Kazakhstan: 127 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kazakhstan’s railway network is 57 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Kazakhstan: 16,006 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 0.57 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates, but only 1.3% of Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 1.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 44% more CO₂ than someone in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 13.9 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
15% of Kazakhstan’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 14.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.5 times as much fine dust as in Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 16 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 3.7 times as likely to be murdered in Kazakhstan as in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 2.6 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kazakhstan are 3 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 20.4 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 6.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 21.0 °C warmer than Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Kazakhstan gets 7 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Kazakhstan: 328 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kazakhstan bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Kazakhstan is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Kazakhstan 28 times.
Which has more people, Kazakhstan or the United Arab Emirates?
Kazakhstan has 81% more people than the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kazakhstan or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.5 years longer than in Kazakhstan. Life expectancy at birth is 74.5 years in Kazakhstan and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Kazakhstan or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Kazakhstan are 1.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
