The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Romania 2.4 times.
Romania: 238,400 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 5.9 times as long as Romania’s.
Romania: 225 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Romania’s highest peak towers 639 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Romania has 65% more people than the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 19 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 2 times as densely populated as Romania.
Romania: 83 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 3.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 177.8 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 4.2 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 164.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 11 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 42.6 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Romania have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 20.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Romania: 2.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Romania and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Romania: 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 29% larger than Romania’s.
Romania: $429 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 56% more per person than Romania.
Romania: Int$50,895 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Romania than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 3.4 points higher).
Romania: 29.8 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 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, Romania 2.3%.
Romania: 2.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Romania’s.
Romania: 44% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Romania.
Romania: $1,051 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.6 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 76.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Romania is 58% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 21% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 37.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 29.7% (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 0.19 points higher than in Romania.
Romania: 6.63 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 27 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 17.1 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 7% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 72.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 524 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 689 more hours a year than in Romania.
Romania: 1,826 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 1.4 years longer than in Romania.
Romania: 11.6 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 3.3 times as many tourists per resident as Romania (2019).
Romania: 0.7 (2024) · 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 91% in Romania.
Romania: 91% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Romania and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Romania: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 52% in Romania.
Romania: 52% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Romania 120.
Romania: 120 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 39 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Romania: 10,769 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 54 times as many passengers per resident as those from Romania.
Romania: 0.15 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 30% of Romania, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 30.1% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Romania.
Romania: 3.6 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
47% of Romania’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 47% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Romania.
Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 62% more likely to be murdered in Romania than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Romania are 63% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 9.6 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 17.8 °C warmer than Romania.
Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Romania gets 16 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Romania bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Romania is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Romania 2.4 times.
Which has more people, Romania or the United Arab Emirates?
Romania has 65% more people than the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Romania or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 6.6 years longer than in Romania. Life expectancy at birth is 76.5 years in Romania and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Romania or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Romania are 3.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
