The duel
- 2.5× The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United Kingdom 2.5 times
- 6× The United Kingdom has 6 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
- +1.7 years People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom
- +23% The United Arab Emirates produces 23% more per person than the United Kingdom
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United Kingdom 2.5 times.
United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 9.4 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United Arab Emirates’ highest peak towers 560 m above the United Kingdom’s.
United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United Kingdom has 6 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 77% more densely populated than the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 3.4 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 8.5 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United Kingdom have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are practically level.
United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 7.2 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 23% more per person than the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United Kingdom than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 6 points higher).
United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, the United Kingdom 2.3%.
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 2.4 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United Kingdom is 8% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 10% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 29% in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 0.13 points higher than in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 16 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 24% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 310 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 992 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 0.5 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 4.1 times as many tourists per resident as the United Kingdom (2019).
United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 95% in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom are practically level.
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 83% in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 58 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 4.6 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 13% of the United Kingdom, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (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 the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 6.3 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 61% more likely to be murdered in the United Kingdom than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United Arab Emirates are 2.5 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 18.9 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United Kingdom gets 23 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United Arab Emirates bigger than the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United Kingdom 2.5 times.
Which has more people, the United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom?
The United Kingdom has 6 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 1.7 years longer than in the United Kingdom. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in the United Arab Emirates and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in the United Arab Emirates or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 4.1 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
