The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Sudan 19 times.
Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 55% longer than Sudan’s.
Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sudan’s highest peak towers 1,137 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Sudan has 4.5 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 51.7 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 5.9 times as densely populated as Sudan.
Sudan: 28 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.0 cm taller than in Sudan.
Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
The United Arab Emirates and Sudan are practically level.
Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 13 years older than in Sudan.
Sudan: 18.3 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sudan have 3.1 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.4% of people in Sudan are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 3.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sudan and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Sudan: 0 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Sudan has 2 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
Sudan: 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 9.2 times the size of Sudan’s.
Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 36 times as much per person as Sudan.
Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sudan than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 7.8 points higher).
Sudan: 34.2 (2014) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 7.5% (2022) · 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, Sudan 0.9%.
Sudan: 0.9% (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Sudan’s.
Sudan: 53% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 114 times as much on health per person as Sudan.
Sudan: $21 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 17 years longer than in Sudan.
Sudan: 66.5 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Sudan is 11 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 12 times as many doctors per person as Sudan.
Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 16% in Sudan.
Sudan: 16.1% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Sudan: no data · 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 2.68 points higher than in Sudan.
Sudan: 4.14 (2017) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sudan drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 3.7 times as much meat per person as Sudan.
Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 612 kcal more food per person per day than Sudan.
Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 144 more hours a year than in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 2,658 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 9 years longer than in Sudan.
Sudan: 4 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 121 times as many tourists per resident as Sudan (2019).
Sudan: 0.02 (2018) · 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 19% in Sudan.
Sudan: 19% (2017) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 66% in Sudan.
Sudan: 66% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan.
Sudan: 35% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sudan 70.
Sudan: 70 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sudan’s railway network is 9.8 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Sudan: 2,747 km (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 448 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sudan.
Sudan: 0.02 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 9.6% of Sudan, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 9.6% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 57 times as much CO₂ as someone in Sudan.
Sudan: 0.4 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
80% of Sudan’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 79.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 93% more fine dust than in Sudan.
Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Sudan: no data · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 3.3 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 19.6 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 1.1 °C warmer than Sudan.
Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sudan gets 3.6 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Sudan bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Sudan is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Sudan 19 times.
Which has more people, Sudan or the United Arab Emirates?
Sudan has 4.5 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sudan or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 17 years longer than in Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years in Sudan and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Sudan or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 2.0 cm taller than in Sudan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
