The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Ukraine 6.1 times.
Ukraine: 603,550 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Ukraine’s coastline is 2.1 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Ukraine: 2,782 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ukraine’s highest peak towers 156 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
Ukraine: 2,061 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ukraine has 3.4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 39 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 2.4 times as densely populated as Ukraine.
Ukraine: 67 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ukraine are 6.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 181 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ukraine are 6.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 166.6 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ukraine is 11 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 42 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Arab Emirates have 0.2 more children on average than in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 0.99 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Ukraine are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 19% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ukraine has produced 1.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
Ukraine: 1.3 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Ukraine: 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 2.6 times the size of Ukraine’s.
Ukraine: $214 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 4.2 times as much per person as Ukraine.
Ukraine: Int$18,905 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Arab Emirates than in Ukraine (Gini 0.8 points higher).
Ukraine: 25.6 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.8% in Ukraine, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 9.8% (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Ukraine spends 34% of its GDP on the military, the United Arab Emirates 5.6%.
Ukraine: 34.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 2× Ukraine’s.
Ukraine: 31% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 6.5 times as much on health per person as Ukraine.
Ukraine: $370 (2021) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.4 years longer than in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 74.7 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Ukraine is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 7.6 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ukraine has 18% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 3.5 per 1,000 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 28% in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 27.8% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in Ukraine smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 23.7% (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 2.16 points higher than in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 4.66 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ukraine drink 6 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 3.9 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 37% more meat per person than Ukraine.
Ukraine: 49.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 339 kcal more food per person per day than Ukraine.
Ukraine: 2,786 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 469 more hours a year than in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 2,045 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 1.9 years longer than in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 11.1 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 35 times as many tourists per resident as Ukraine (2019).
Ukraine: 0.07 (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 82% in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 82% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates are practically level.
Ukraine: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 70% in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 70% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Ukraine 133.
Ukraine: 133 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Ukraine’s railway network is 78 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
Ukraine: 21,626 km (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 682 times as many passengers per resident as those from Ukraine.
Ukraine: 0.01 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 17% of Ukraine, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 16.8% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.3 times as much CO₂ as someone in Ukraine.
Ukraine: 3.8 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
16% of Ukraine’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 16.4% (2022) · 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 Ukraine.
Ukraine: 14.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5.4 times as likely to be murdered in Ukraine as in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 3.8 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ukraine are 78% deadlier than in the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 10.5 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 18.5 °C warmer than Ukraine.
Ukraine: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ukraine gets 13 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine: 619 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Ukraine bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
Ukraine is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Ukraine 6.1 times.
Which has more people, Ukraine or the United Arab Emirates?
Ukraine has 3.4 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Ukraine or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.4 years longer than in Ukraine. Life expectancy at birth is 74.7 years in Ukraine and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in Ukraine or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in Ukraine are 6.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
