The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Norway 6.3 times
Norway: 624,500 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 19 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Norway’s highest peak towers 564 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates, versus 2.7% of Norway
Norway: 2.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.1 times as many people as Norway
Norway: 5.61 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 11 times as densely populated as Norway
Norway: 15 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 6.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 180.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 5.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 166.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 8.3 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 39.5 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Norway have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 19.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 185 times as many refugees per resident as the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Norway: 23.2 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Norway has 3 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1
Norway: 3 (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 4% larger than Norway’s
Norway: $531 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 31% more per person than the United Arab Emirates
Norway: Int$104,044 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Norway and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Norway: 26.5 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Norway and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Norway: 0.2% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Norway, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 4.6% (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, Norway 3.3%
Norway: 3.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Norway’s central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Norway: 24.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the United Arab Emirates’
Norway: 91% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 3.5 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates
Norway: $8,296 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
Norway and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Norway: 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 90% more likely to die before turning one than in Norway
Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 66% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Norway has 76% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Norway is 4.1 times that in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 11.6 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 21% in Norway
Norway: 20.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in Norway smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 12.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 0.42 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 7.24 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Norway drink 11 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 7 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 4% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 70.4 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 351 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 1,102 more hours a year than in Norway
Norway: 1,412 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 0.13 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 13.1 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 Norway (2019)
Norway: 0.91 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Norway has 5 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (8 against 3)
Norway: 8 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Norway has won 616 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Norway: 616 (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 99% in Norway
Norway: 99% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 57% faster than in Norway
Norway: 228 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Norway and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Norway: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 84% in Norway
Norway: 84% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109
Norway: 109 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Norway’s railway network is 14 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Norway: 3,885 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Norway: no data · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 33% of Norway, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 33.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Norway
Norway: 6.7 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 99% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 8.3 times as much fine dust as in Norway
Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5% more likely to be murdered in Norway than in the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 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 2.4 times as deadly as in Norway
Norway: 2.9 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 27.2 °C warmer than Norway
Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Norway gets 27 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Norway: 1,259 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 Norway bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Norway is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Norway 6.3 times.
Which has more people, Norway or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.1 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Norway or the United Arab Emirates?
Norway and the United Arab Emirates are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Norway and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Norway or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Norway are 6.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
