The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside Vietnam 3.4 times.
United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 1,239 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 8.8 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 2 times as densely populated as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 5.2 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 2.1 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 1.2 years older than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.7 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates 0.0.
United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are practically level.
United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 7% larger than Vietnam’s.
United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 4.4 times as much per person as Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 9.7 points higher).
United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 1.8%.
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 2.3× Vietnam’s.
United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 12 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.3 years longer than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 3.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 2.7 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 17 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 12% more meat per person than Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 39 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 354 more hours a year than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 4 years longer than in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 28 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Arab Emirates and Vietnam are practically level.
United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128.
United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 11 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 15 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 5.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 2.2 times as much fine dust as in Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 3 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 4.5 °C warmer than Vietnam.
United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 45 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United Arab Emirates bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside Vietnam 3.4 times.
Which has more people, the United Arab Emirates or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 8.8 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Arab Emirates or Vietnam?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 8.3 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 83.1 years in the United Arab Emirates and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in the United Arab Emirates or Vietnam?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 5.2 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
