The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Spain 5.1 times.
Spain: 505,976 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Spain’s coastline is 3.8 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Spain: 4,964 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Spain’s highest peak towers 1,813 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Spain: 3,718 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Spain has 4.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 49.4 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 64% more densely populated than Spain.
Spain: 99 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Spain are 2.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 176.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Spain are 1.5 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 162 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Spain is 14 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 44.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.1 more children on average than in Spain.
Spain: 1.1 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
22% of people in Spain are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 21.6% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Spain has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
Spain: 1.4 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Spain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Spain: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Spain’s economy is 3.5 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
Spain: $1.91 trillion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 33% more per person than Spain.
Spain: Int$59,868 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Spain than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7 points higher).
Spain: 33.4 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 10% in Spain, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 10.4% (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, Spain 1.4%.
Spain: 1.4% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
Spain’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the United Arab Emirates’.
Spain: 65% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Spain spends 29% more on health per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: $3,107 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Spain live 0.82 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 83.9 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 46% more likely to die before turning one than in Spain.
Spain: 2.6 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Spain has 44% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 4.3 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 19% in Spain.
Spain: 18.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
28% of adults in Spain smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 27.6% (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 0.28 points higher than in Spain.
Spain: 6.54 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Spain drink 19 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 12.1 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Spain has 49% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 100.8 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Spain has 252 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 3,377 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 876 more hours a year than in Spain.
Spain: 1,638 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 2.2 years longer than in Spain.
Spain: 10.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 19% more tourists per resident than Spain (2019).
Spain: 1.92 (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 96% in Spain.
Spain: 96% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Spain and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Spain: 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 Spain.
Spain: 81% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Spain 130.
Spain: 130 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Spain’s railway network is 57 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Spain: 15,963 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 4.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Spain.
Spain: 1.91 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 37% of Spain, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 37.2% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 4.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Spain.
Spain: 4.6 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
56% of Spain’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 55.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 5.6 times as much fine dust as in Spain.
Spain: 10 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
The United Arab Emirates and Spain are nearly identical here.
Spain: 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 69% deadlier than in Spain.
Spain: 3.5 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 14.0 °C warmer than Spain.
Spain: 14.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Spain gets 14 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Spain: 665 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Spain bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Spain is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Spain 5.1 times.
Which has more people, Spain or the United Arab Emirates?
Spain has 4.3 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Spain or the United Arab Emirates?
People in Spain live 0.82 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates. Life expectancy at birth is 83.9 years in Spain and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Spain or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Spain are 2.0 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
