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 (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
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)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Vietnam, versus 5.6% of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
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 refugees does it host?
The United Arab Emirates hosts 935 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
United Arab Emirates: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none
United Arab Emirates: 0 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
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 live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in Vietnam live on less than $3 a day, versus 0% in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 0% (2018) · Vietnam: 1.6% (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 2.2%
United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
United Arab Emirates: 0.6% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
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 many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 35% more hospital beds per person than the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 1.9 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 3.6 times that in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 2.8 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
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)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 6 more World Heritage sites than the United Arab Emirates (9 against 3)
United Arab Emirates: 3 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Vietnam has won 5 Olympic medals, the United Arab Emirates 2
United Arab Emirates: 2 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
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)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the United Arab Emirates is 47% faster than in Vietnam
United Arab Emirates: 358 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
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 4.6% of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 4.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
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 2.7 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: 6.9 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
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)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
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).
