The duel
- 100× The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United States 100 times
- 30× The United States has 30 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
- +4.2 years People in the United Arab Emirates live 4.2 years longer than in the United States
- +13% The United States produces 13% more per person than the United Arab Emirates
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United States 100 times
United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2024) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 15 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 4,285 m above the United Arab Emirates’
United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of the United States, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024) · United States: 46.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 30 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 4.3 times as densely populated as the United States
United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 2.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 2.8 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 6.8 years older than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the United States have 0.4 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The United States hosts 11 times as many refugees per resident as the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · United States: 1.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026) · United States: 8.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
The United Arab Emirates and the United States are practically level
United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 56 times the size of the United Arab Emirates’
United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 13% more per person than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 15.4 points higher)
United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.1% of people in the United States live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018) · United States: 1.1% (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, the United States 3.1%
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014) · United States: 3.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The United States’ central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, the United Arab Emirates’ 0.6%
United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024) · United States: 10.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 1.6× the United Arab Emirates’
United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 5.6 times as much on health per person as the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 4.2 years longer than in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the United States is 45% more likely to die before turning one than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 23% more doctors per person than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
The United States has 43% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 2.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the United States is 4.8 times that in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023) · United States: 13.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 30% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
The United Arab Emirates and the United States are practically level
United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 15 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 80% more meat per person than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 822 kcal more food per person per day than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 726 more hours a year than in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 0.92 years longer than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as the United States (2019)
United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The United States has 24 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (27 against 3)
United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026) · United States: 27 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The United States has won 3,137 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
United Arab Emirates: 2 (2026 edition) · United States: 3,137 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 95% in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United States is 12% faster than in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026) · United States: 401 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Arab Emirates and the United States are practically level
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 80% in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113
United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 532 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’
United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 2.9 times as many passengers per resident as those from the United States
United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of the United States, but only 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024) · United States: 33.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 42% more CO₂ than someone in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
26% of the United States’ electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 7.4 times as much fine dust as in the United States
United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 8.3 times as likely to be murdered in the United States as in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the United States are 3.8 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · United States: 26.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 18.5 °C warmer than the United States
United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The United States gets 18 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the United Arab Emirates bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside the United States 100 times.
Which has more people, the United Arab Emirates or the United States?
The United States has 30 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Arab Emirates or the United States?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 4.2 years longer than in the United States. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in the United Arab Emirates and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in the United Arab Emirates or the United States?
Men in the United States are 2.9 cm taller than in the United Arab Emirates (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
