The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates is 7% bigger than Portugal.
Portugal: 92,230 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 36% longer than the United Arab Emirates’.
Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Portugal’s highest peak towers 446 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 7% more people than Portugal.
Portugal: 10.8 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 37% more densely populated than Portugal.
Portugal: 118 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 15 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 46.2 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Portugal have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 24.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
Portugal: 1.9 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Portugal: 1 (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 59% larger than Portugal’s.
Portugal: $347 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 49% more per person than Portugal.
Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Portugal than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7.5 points higher).
Portugal: 33.9 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 6.2% (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, Portugal 1.5%.
Portugal: 1.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1× Portugal’s.
Portugal: 60% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 24% more on health per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: $2,971 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.69 years longer than in Portugal.
Portugal: 82.4 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 41% more likely to die before turning one than in Portugal.
Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 2 times as many doctors per person as the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 5.9 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 23% in Portugal.
Portugal: 23% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 28.6% (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 0.79 points higher than in Portugal.
Portugal: 6.03 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 21 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 46% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 428 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 780 more hours a year than in Portugal.
Portugal: 1,735 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 3.3 years longer than in Portugal.
Portugal: 9.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 19% more tourists per resident than the United Arab Emirates (2019).
Portugal: 2.71 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Portugal has 14 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (17 against 3).
Portugal: 17 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 88% in Portugal.
Portugal: 88% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Portugal: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 61% in Portugal.
Portugal: 61% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Portugal 124.
Portugal: 124 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Portugal’s railway network is 9.1 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Portugal: 2,527 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 4.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Portugal.
Portugal: 1.69 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 36% of Portugal, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 36.2% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Portugal.
Portugal: 3.4 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
81% of Portugal’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 81% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 5.3 times as much fine dust as in Portugal.
Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 4% more likely to be murdered in Portugal than in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Portugal are 22% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 7.2 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 12.9 °C warmer than Portugal.
Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Portugal gets 17 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Portugal: 777 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Portugal bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates is larger. The United Arab Emirates is 7% bigger than Portugal.
Which has more people, Portugal or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 7% more people than Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Portugal or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 0.69 years longer than in Portugal. Life expectancy at birth is 82.4 years in Portugal and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Portugal or the United Arab Emirates?
Portugal and the United Arab Emirates are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
