The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea is 2% bigger than the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 100,450 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 83% longer than the United Arab Emirates’.
South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
South Korea’s highest peak towers 45 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
South Korea has 4.5 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 51.7 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 3.3 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 530 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 1.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 2.7 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 13 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 44.5 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.5 more children on average than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 20.3% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
South Korea: 0.6 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
South Korea: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 3.4 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 26% more per person than South Korea.
South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Korea than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 6.5 points higher).
South Korea: 32.9 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.7% in South Korea, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 2.7% (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, South Korea 2.6%.
South Korea: 2.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.1× South Korea’s.
South Korea: 57% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 31% more on health per person than the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: $3,137 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 0.56 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 83.6 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 65% more likely to die before turning one than in South Korea.
South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 15% more doctors per person than South Korea.
South Korea: 2.6 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 7.5% in South Korea.
South Korea: 7.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 18.6% (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 0.78 points higher than in South Korea.
South Korea: 6.04 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 13 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 24% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 84 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 305 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 604 more hours a year than in South Korea.
South Korea: 1,910 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 0.27 years longer than in South Korea.
South Korea: 12.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 7.2 times as many tourists per resident as South Korea (2019).
South Korea: 0.32 (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 98% in South Korea.
South Korea: 98% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
South Korea: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 81% in South Korea.
South Korea: 81% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Korea 173.
South Korea: 173 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 15 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
South Korea: 4,309 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 5.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from South Korea.
South Korea: 1.48 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 64.1% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 78% more CO₂ than someone in South Korea.
South Korea: 11.3 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
10% of South Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 10.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in South Korea.
South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 45% more likely to be murdered in the United Arab Emirates than in South Korea.
South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Korea are 17% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 6.9 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 15.7 °C warmer than South Korea.
South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
South Korea gets 27 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
South Korea: 1,265 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is South Korea bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
South Korea is larger. South Korea is 2% bigger than the United Arab Emirates.
Which has more people, South Korea or the United Arab Emirates?
South Korea has 4.5 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, South Korea or the United Arab Emirates?
People in South Korea live 0.56 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates. Life expectancy at birth is 83.6 years in South Korea and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in South Korea or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in South Korea are 1.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
