The duel
- 2.4× The Netherlands fits inside the United Arab Emirates 2.4 times
- +57% The Netherlands has 57% more people than the United Arab Emirates
- +1.1 years People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands
- +10% The Netherlands produces 10% more per person than the United Arab Emirates
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside the United Arab Emirates 2.4 times.
Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 2.9 times as long as the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 1,043 m above the Netherlands’.
Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Netherlands has 57% more people than the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 3.3 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 9.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 9.8 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 10 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Netherlands have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 20.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Netherlands: 11.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Netherlands: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 2.4 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 10% more per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Arab Emirates than in the Netherlands (Gini 0.7 points higher).
Netherlands: 25.7 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.9% in the Netherlands, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 3.9% (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, the Netherlands 1.9%.
Netherlands: 1.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the United Arab Emirates’.
Netherlands: 84% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 2.9 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: $6,845 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 30% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 3.9 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 17% in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 16.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 20.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 0.40 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 7.22 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 13 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 6% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 342 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 1,076 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 1,439 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 0.32 years longer than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 2.5 times as many tourists per resident as the Netherlands (2019).
Netherlands: 0.91 (2022) · 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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 97% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The Netherlands and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Netherlands: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 96% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Netherlands 129.
Netherlands: 129 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Netherlands’ railway network is 11 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 3.5 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 2.29 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 11% of the Netherlands, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 11.1% (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 the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
51% of the Netherlands’ electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 51.2% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 5.8 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
The United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands are nearly identical here.
Netherlands: 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 74% deadlier than in the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 3.4 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 17.6 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Netherlands gets 19 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Netherlands bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. The Netherlands fits inside the United Arab Emirates 2.4 times.
Which has more people, the Netherlands or the United Arab Emirates?
The Netherlands has 57% more people than the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Netherlands or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.1 years longer than in the Netherlands. Life expectancy at birth is 82.0 years in the Netherlands and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in the Netherlands or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the Netherlands are 9.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
