The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Sweden 5.4 times
Sweden: 528,860 km² (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 2.4 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Sweden’s highest peak towers 195 m above the United Arab Emirates’
Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 7.3% of Sweden, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 7.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Arab Emirates has 9% more people than Sweden
Sweden: 10.6 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 6.2 times as densely populated as Sweden
Sweden: 26 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 6.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 6.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 8.7 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 39.9 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Sweden have 0.2 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 20.9% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Sweden hosts 114 times as many refugees per resident as the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 13.6 per 1,000 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
Sweden: 28.3 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Sweden and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Sweden: 1 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 21% larger than the United Arab Emirates’
Sweden: $669 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 9% more per person than Sweden
Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Sweden than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 2.9 points higher)
Sweden: 29.3 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
0.8% of people in Sweden live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 0.8% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 8.7% (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, Sweden 2.5%
Sweden: 2.5% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Sweden’s central government collects 27% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
Sweden: 27.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the United Arab Emirates’
Sweden: 87% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 2.7 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: $6,485 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 0.99 year longer than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 84.1 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 90% more likely to die before turning one than in Sweden
Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 47% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
Sweden has 2% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Sweden is 4.5 times that in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 12.7 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 19% in Sweden
Sweden: 18.7% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 20.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 0.43 points higher than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 7.26 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 14 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden and the United Arab Emirates are nearly identical here
Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 242 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 1,083 more hours a year than in Sweden
Sweden: 1,432 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 0.25 years longer than in Sweden
Sweden: 12.7 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 3.6 times as many tourists per resident as Sweden (2019)
Sweden: 0.63 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Sweden has 12 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (15 against 3)
Sweden: 15 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Sweden has won 709 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
Sweden: 709 (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 2 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 96% in Sweden
Sweden: 96% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 44% faster than in Sweden
Sweden: 248 Mbps (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Sweden and the United Arab Emirates are practically level
Sweden: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 86% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 89% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Sweden 141
Sweden: 141 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 35 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
Sweden: 9,714 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 4.3 times as many passengers per resident as those from Sweden
Sweden: 1.85 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 68.6% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024)
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 Sweden
Sweden: 3.6 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
71% of Sweden’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 71.2% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 9.8 times as much fine dust as in Sweden
Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 65% more likely to be murdered in Sweden than in the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 2 times as deadly as in Sweden
Sweden: 3.4 per 100k (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 6.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 24.5 °C warmer than Sweden
Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Sweden gets 17 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Sweden bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Sweden is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Sweden 5.4 times.
Which has more people, Sweden or the United Arab Emirates?
The United Arab Emirates has 9% more people than Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Sweden or the United Arab Emirates?
People in Sweden live 0.99 year longer than in the United Arab Emirates. Life expectancy at birth is 84.1 years in Sweden and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Sweden or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Sweden are 6.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
