The duel
- 3× The United Arab Emirates fits inside the Philippines 3 times
- 10× The Philippines has 10 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
- +13 years People in the United Arab Emirates live 13 years longer than in the Philippines
- 6.3× The United Arab Emirates produces 6.3 times as much per person as the Philippines
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside the Philippines 3 times
Philippines: 300,000 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The Philippines’ coastline is 28 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Philippines: 36,289 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Philippines’ highest peak towers 1,049 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Philippines: 2,954 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 43% of the Philippines, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 42.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Philippines has 10 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 117 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Philippines is 2.4 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 392 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 8.9 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 165.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 6.4 cm taller than in the Philippines
Philippines: 154.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 5.9 years older than in the Philippines
Philippines: 25.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Philippines have 0.7 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
5.7% of people in the Philippines are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 5.7% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United Arab Emirates hosts 14 times as many refugees per resident as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.0088 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Philippines has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Philippines: 0.1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Philippines has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1
Philippines: 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 13% larger than the Philippines’
Philippines: $487 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 6.3 times as much per person as the Philippines
Philippines: Int$12,577 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the Philippines than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 12.9 points higher)
Philippines: 39.3 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.3% of people in the Philippines live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 5.3% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
The Philippines and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Philippines: 2.2% (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 Philippines 1.3%
Philippines: 1.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Philippines’ central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Philippines: 14.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.9× the Philippines’
Philippines: 33% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 12 times as much on health per person as the Philippines
Philippines: $194 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 13 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 69.9 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Philippines is 5.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 21.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 0.8 per 1,000 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 93% more hospital beds per person than the Philippines
Philippines: 1 per 1,000 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Philippines is 11% higher than in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 3.1 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 9.7% in the Philippines
Philippines: 9.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in the Philippines smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 19.9% (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 0.61 points higher than in the Philippines
Philippines: 6.21 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Philippines drink 9.5 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 6.1 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 2 times as much meat per person as the Philippines
Philippines: 33.6 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 142 kcal more food per person per day than the Philippines
Philippines: 2,983 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 418 more hours a year than in the Philippines
Philippines: 2,096 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 3 years longer than in the Philippines
Philippines: 10 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 98 times as many tourists per resident as the Philippines (2019)
Philippines: 0.02 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Philippines has 3 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (6 against 3)
Philippines: 6 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Philippines has won 18 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Philippines: 18 (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 67% in the Philippines
Philippines: 67% (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 the Philippines
Philippines: 166 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 95% in the Philippines
Philippines: 94.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 56% in the Philippines
Philippines: 56% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Philippines 115
Philippines: 115 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The Philippines’ railway network is 82% longer than the United Arab Emirates’
Philippines: 509 km (2016) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 22 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Philippines
Philippines: 0.36 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 25% of the Philippines, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 24.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 13 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Philippines
Philippines: 1.5 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
23% of the Philippines’ electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 23.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the Philippines
Philippines: 23.1 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 6.3 times as likely to be murdered in the Philippines as in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 4.3 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Philippines are 2 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 13.8 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 2.5 °C warmer than the Philippines
Philippines: 26.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Philippines gets 64 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Philippines: 3,001 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 the Philippines bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The Philippines is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside the Philippines 3 times.
Which has more people, the Philippines or the United Arab Emirates?
The Philippines has 10 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Philippines or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 13 years longer than in the Philippines. Life expectancy at birth is 69.9 years in the Philippines and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in the Philippines or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 8.9 cm taller than in the Philippines (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
