The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Morocco 4.5 times
Morocco: 446,550 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Morocco’s coastline is 2.2 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Morocco: 2,945 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Morocco’s highest peak towers 2,260 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Morocco: 4,165 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 67% of Morocco, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 67.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Morocco has 3.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 38.4 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 88% more densely populated than Morocco
Morocco: 86 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Morocco are 2.3 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 176.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Morocco: 161.2 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 years older than in Morocco
Morocco: 29.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Morocco have 1.0 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 2.21 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.5% of people in Morocco are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 8.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Morocco hosts 59% more refugees per resident than the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 0.2 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Morocco has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Morocco: 0.3 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Morocco has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1
Morocco: 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 3 times the size of Morocco’s
Morocco: $182 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 7.1 times as much per person as Morocco
Morocco: Int$11,112 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Morocco: no data · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Morocco: no data · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.0% in Morocco, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 9% (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, Morocco 3.5%
Morocco: 3.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Morocco’s central government collects 23% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Morocco: 22.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Morocco’s
Morocco: 42% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 10 times as much on health per person as Morocco
Morocco: $232 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 7.6 years longer than in Morocco
Morocco: 75.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Morocco is 3.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 14.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 4 times as many doctors per person as Morocco
Morocco: 0.7 per 1,000 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.6 times as many hospital beds per person as Morocco
Morocco: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Morocco is 21% higher than in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 3.4 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 Morocco
Morocco: 22% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in Morocco smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 12.5% (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 2.17 points higher than in Morocco
Morocco: 4.65 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates drink 41% more alcohol than in Morocco
Morocco: 0.5 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.1 times as much meat per person as Morocco
Morocco: 32.8 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Morocco has 229 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 3,354 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 341 more hours a year than in Morocco
Morocco: 2,174 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 6.8 years longer than in Morocco
Morocco: 6.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 7.8 times as many tourists per resident as Morocco (2019)
Morocco: 0.29 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Morocco has 6 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (9 against 3)
Morocco: 9 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Morocco has won 26 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Morocco: 26 (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 91% in Morocco
Morocco: 91% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 4.7 times as fast as in Morocco
Morocco: 76 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Morocco and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Morocco: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 63% in Morocco
Morocco: 63% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Morocco 153
Morocco: 153 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Morocco’s railway network is 8.2 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Morocco: 2,295 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 32 times as many passengers per resident as those from Morocco
Morocco: 0.24 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of Morocco, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 12.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 11 times as much CO₂ as someone in Morocco
Morocco: 1.8 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
24% of Morocco’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 24% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.2 times as much fine dust as in Morocco
Morocco: 17.4 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.4 times as likely to be murdered in Morocco as in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 1.7 per 100k (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Morocco are 3.2 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 22.2 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 9.5 °C warmer than Morocco
Morocco: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Morocco gets 5.1 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Morocco: 239 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 Morocco bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Morocco is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Morocco 4.5 times.
Which has more people, Morocco or the United Arab Emirates?
Morocco has 3.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Morocco or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 7.6 years longer than in Morocco. Life expectancy at birth is 75.5 years in Morocco and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Morocco or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Morocco are 2.3 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
