Matchup file

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates

119 shared metrics.

Saudi ArabiaLeads in 54

vs119 shared

United Arab EmiratesLeads in 65

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United Arab Emirates leads by 11 metrics. Use the same instinct in a quick real-data brawl.

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Country briefing

What matters for both sides

Short real-world notes so the comparison reads like more than a stat strip.

Saudi Arabia

Quick notes before you compare the numbers.

Identity

Formal name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

CIA 2026

Curated stat

Saudi Arabia holds most of the Empty Quarter, the largest continuous sand sea on Earth.

NASA

United Arab Emirates

Quick notes before you compare the numbers.

Identity

Name origin: self-descriptive country name.

CIA 2026

Curated stat

Al Ain shows settled desert life going back to the Neolithic, with ancient oasis irrigation.

UNESCO

Analysis

United Arab Emirates leads in 65 of 119 shared metrics, while Saudi Arabia leads in 54.

Saudi Arabia's Capital Elevation is 42.7x that of United Arab Emirates (612 m vs 14 m).

Saudi Arabia's Land Area is 29.3x that of United Arab Emirates (2.15M km² vs 71.0K km²).

Saudi Arabia's Domestic Patents is 19.3x that of United Arab Emirates (1.4K vs 69).

Saudi Arabia's Agricultural Land (%) is 13.7x that of United Arab Emirates (80.77% vs 5.5%).

Saudi Arabia's Tax Revenue (% GDP) is 11.6x that of United Arab Emirates (8.2% of GDP vs 0.65% of GDP).

Key Comparisons

Capital ElevationSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

612 m

United Arab Emirates

14 m

Land AreaSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

2.15M km²

United Arab Emirates

71.0K km²

Domestic PatentsSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

1.4K

United Arab Emirates

Agricultural Land (%)Saudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

80.77%

United Arab Emirates

5.5%

Tax Revenue (% GDP)Saudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

8.2% of GDP

United Arab Emirates

0.65% of GDP

Water WithdrawalSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

23.38 B m³

United Arab Emirates

2.3 B m³

All Metrics

Capital Elevation

Saudi Arabia

612 m

United Arab Emirates

14 m

4271% higher

Land Area

Saudi Arabia

2.15M km²

United Arab Emirates

71.0K km²

2927% higher

Domestic Patents

Saudi Arabia

1.4K

United Arab Emirates

1926% higher

Agricultural Land (%)

Saudi Arabia

80.77%

United Arab Emirates

5.5%

1365% higher

Tax Revenue (% GDP)

Saudi Arabia

8.2% of GDP

United Arab Emirates

0.65% of GDP

1164% higher

Water Withdrawal

Saudi Arabia

23.38 B m³

United Arab Emirates

2.3 B m³

932% higher

Irrigated Land

Saudi Arabia

7.6K km²

United Arab Emirates

940 km²

706% higher

Armed Forces Personnel

Saudi Arabia

282.0K

United Arab Emirates

63.0K

348% higher

Scientific Publications

Saudi Arabia

25.8K

United Arab Emirates

6.4K

303% higher

Land Border Length

Saudi Arabia

4.3K km

United Arab Emirates

1.1K km

301% higher

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Saudi Arabia

8.0 sites

United Arab Emirates

2.0 sites

300% higher

Population

Saudi Arabia

36.54M

United Arab Emirates

10.09M

262% higher

Teen Birth Rate

Saudi Arabia

11.11 per 1k

United Arab Emirates

3.1 per 1k

258% higher

Border Neighbors

Saudi Arabia

7.0

United Arab Emirates

2.0

250% higher

Total CO2 Emissions

Saudi Arabia

652.51 Mt CO2e

United Arab Emirates

200.56 Mt CO2e

225% higher

Wind Electricity Share

Saudi Arabia

0.35%

United Arab Emirates

0.11%

218% higher

Road Traffic Death Rate

Saudi Arabia

18.5 per 100k

United Arab Emirates

5.9 per 100k

214% higher

Political Corruption Index

Saudi Arabia

0.33

United Arab Emirates

0.10

210% higher

Forest Area

Saudi Arabia

9.8K km²

United Arab Emirates

3.2K km²

208% higher

Mobile Money Accounts

Saudi Arabia

36.5% of adults

United Arab Emirates

13.26% of adults

175% higher

Comparison of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates across 119 metrics
				Winner
Capital Elevation	612 m	14 m	4271% higher	Saudi Arabia
Land Area	2.15M km²	71.0K km²	2927% higher	Saudi Arabia
Domestic Patents	1.4K	69	1926% higher	Saudi Arabia
Agricultural Land (%)	80.77%	5.5%	1365% higher	Saudi Arabia
Tax Revenue (% GDP)	8.2% of GDP	0.65% of GDP	1164% higher	Saudi Arabia
Water Withdrawal	23.38 B m³	2.3 B m³	932% higher	Saudi Arabia
Irrigated Land	7.6K km²	940 km²	706% higher	Saudi Arabia
Armed Forces Personnel	282.0K	63.0K	348% higher	Saudi Arabia
Scientific Publications	25.8K	6.4K	303% higher	Saudi Arabia
Land Border Length	4.3K km	1.1K km	301% higher	Saudi Arabia
UNESCO World Heritage Sites	8.0 sites	2.0 sites	300% higher	Saudi Arabia
Population	36.54M	10.09M	262% higher	Saudi Arabia
Teen Birth Rate	11.11 per 1k	3.1 per 1k	258% higher	Saudi Arabia
Border Neighbors	7.0	2.0	250% higher	Saudi Arabia
Total CO2 Emissions	652.51 Mt CO2e	200.56 Mt CO2e	225% higher	Saudi Arabia
Wind Electricity Share	0.35%	0.11%	218% higher	Saudi Arabia
Road Traffic Death Rate	18.5 per 100k	5.9 per 100k	214% higher	Saudi Arabia
Political Corruption Index	0.33	0.10	210% higher	Saudi Arabia
Forest Area	9.8K km²	3.2K km²	208% higher	Saudi Arabia
Mobile Money Accounts	36.5% of adults	13.26% of adults	175% higher	Saudi Arabia
Electric Generating Capacity	119.62M kW	44.46M kW	169% higher	Saudi Arabia
Electricity Generation	454.64 TWh	177.25 TWh	156% higher	Saudi Arabia
GDP (Nominal)	$1,239,804,533,333.33	$552,324,846,834.58	124% higher	Saudi Arabia
Airports	89	42	112% higher	Saudi Arabia
Death Rate	3.5 per 1k	1.7 per 1k	103% higher	Saudi Arabia
Coastline Length	2.6K km	1.3K km	100% higher	Saudi Arabia
All-Time Olympic Medals	4.0 medals	2.0 medals	100% higher	Saudi Arabia
High-Tech Exports (%)	0.54%	9.0%	94% lower	United Arab Emirates
Forest Coverage (%)	0.45%	4.5%	90% lower	United Arab Emirates
Renewable Energy (%)	0.10%	1.0%	90% lower	United Arab Emirates
Population Density	15.68 /km²	147.62 /km²	89% lower	United Arab Emirates
Electoral Democracy Index	0.02	0.10	85% lower	United Arab Emirates
Unemployment Rate	3.9%	2.1%	83% higher	Saudi Arabia
McDonald's Outlets per Million PeopleSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors - Open Database License (ODbL)	3.2 per 1M people	19.22 per 1M people	83% lower	United Arab Emirates
Solar Electricity Share	1.8%	8.6%	79% lower	United Arab Emirates
FDI Inflows (% GDP)	1.7% of GDP	8.3% of GDP	79% lower	United Arab Emirates
Tourism Revenue	$5,960,000,000	$24,615,400,390.63	76% lower	United Arab Emirates
Exports (% GDP)	29.11% of GDP	106.85% of GDP	73% lower	United Arab Emirates
Imports (% GDP)	25.57% of GDP	92.2% of GDP	72% lower	United Arab Emirates
Renewable Energy (%)	0.73%	2.5%	71% lower	United Arab Emirates
Dependency Ratio	36.55% of working-age pop.	21.77% of working-age pop.	68% higher	Saudi Arabia
Elderly Population (%)	3.0%	1.8%	67% higher	Saudi Arabia
Smoking Rate	14.9%	9.0%	66% higher	Saudi Arabia
R&D Spending (% GDP)	0.56% of GDP	1.5% of GDP	62% lower	United Arab Emirates
Tobacco Use Prevalence	14.7% of adults	9.2% of adults	60% higher	Saudi Arabia
Women in Parliament (%)	19.87%	50%	60% lower	United Arab Emirates
Seafood Consumption per Person	11.35 kg/person/yr	27.02 kg/person/yr	58% lower	United Arab Emirates
Researchers	1.1K per 1M	2.6K per 1M	57% lower	United Arab Emirates
Highest Elevation	3.0K m	1.9K m	57% higher	Saudi Arabia
EV Chargers per 100,000 PeopleSource: © OpenStreetMap contributors - Open Database License (ODbL)	0.31 per 100k people	0.71 per 100k people	56% lower	United Arab Emirates
Youth Unemployment Rate	10.01% of youth labor force	6.5% of youth labor force	55% higher	Saudi Arabia
GDP Growth Rate	2.0%	4.0%	50% lower	United Arab Emirates
Shipping Traffic	10.46M	20.30M	48% lower	United Arab Emirates
Youth Population (%)	23.82%	16.11%	48% higher	Saudi Arabia
Electricity Carbon Intensity	691.95 gCO2/kWh	467.51 gCO2/kWh	48% higher	Saudi Arabia
Air Passengers	47.98M	91.06M	47% lower	United Arab Emirates
Air Pollution (PM2.5)	53.15 µg/m³	36.31 µg/m³	46% higher	Saudi Arabia
Freedom of Expression Index	0.09	0.06	46% higher	Saudi Arabia
Suicide Rate	0.95 per 100k	1.7 per 100k	44% lower	United Arab Emirates
Women's Political Empowerment	0.35	0.61	43% lower	United Arab Emirates
Vehicles per 1,000 People	222.77 per 1k people	379.53 per 1k people	41% lower	United Arab Emirates
Liberal Democracy Index	0.05	0.08	39% lower	United Arab Emirates
Milk Consumption per Person	83.65 kg/person/yr	132.66 kg/person/yr	37% lower	United Arab Emirates
Water Stress (%)	974.17%	1.5K%	35% lower	United Arab Emirates
Merchant Fleet Size	433	655	34% lower	United Arab Emirates
Government Debt (% GDP)	13.1% of GDP	19.7% of GDP	34% lower	United Arab Emirates
University Enrollment Rate	83.88%	63.74%	32% higher	Saudi Arabia
GNI Per Capita	$35,630	$51,550	31% lower	United Arab Emirates
Education Spending (% GDP)	5.1% of GDP	3.9% of GDP	31% higher	Saudi Arabia
Health Spending Per Capita	$1,593.37	$2,314.75	31% lower	United Arab Emirates
Obesity Rate	41.11%	31.55%	30% higher	Saudi Arabia
Minimum Paid Vacation Days	21 days/yr	30 days/yr	30% lower	United Arab Emirates
Military Spending	7.3% of GDP	5.6% of GDP	29% higher	Saudi Arabia
Birth Rate	13.41 per 1k	10.65 per 1k	26% higher	Saudi Arabia
Child Mortality	6.2 per 1k births	5.0 per 1k births	24% higher	Saudi Arabia
Infant Mortality	4.9 per 1k births	4.0 per 1k births	23% higher	Saudi Arabia
Mobile Subscriptions (%)	157.78 per 100 people	203 per 100 people	22% lower	United Arab Emirates
Broadband Access (%)	44 per 100 people	37 per 100 people	19% higher	Saudi Arabia
Electricity Use (Per Capita)	11.8K kWh/person	14.7K kWh/person	19% lower	United Arab Emirates
Corruption Perceptions Index	57 pts	69 pts	17% lower	United Arab Emirates
Can Raise Emergency Money	95.89% of adults	81.64% of adults	17% higher	Saudi Arabia
Fertility Rate	1.8 children/woman	1.6 children/woman	15% higher	Saudi Arabia
Nurses & Midwives	5.5 per 1k	6.4 per 1k	14% lower	United Arab Emirates
Doctors (per 1,000)	3.4 per 1k	3.0 per 1k	14% higher	Saudi Arabia
Meat Consumption per Person	54.13 kg/person/yr	62.03 kg/person/yr	13% lower	United Arab Emirates
Hypertension Prevalence	34.2% of adults	39.4% of adults	13% lower	United Arab Emirates
Credit Card Ownership	30.13% of adults	26.84% of adults	12% higher	Saudi Arabia
Insufficient Physical Activity	54.13% of adults	60.93% of adults	11% lower	United Arab Emirates
Foreign Patents	2.6K	2.4K	10% higher	Saudi Arabia
Hospital Beds (per 1,000)	2.2 per 1k	2.0 per 1k	10% higher	Saudi Arabia
Energy Use (Per Capita)	7.5K kg oil eq/person	8.3K kg oil eq/person	10% lower	United Arab Emirates
GDP Per Capita (PPP)	$71,375.37	$79,228.74	10% lower	United Arab Emirates
Median Age	29.2 years	31.2 years	6% lower	United Arab Emirates
Life Expectancy	78.7 years	82.9 years	5% lower	United Arab Emirates
Human Development Index	0.90	0.94	4% lower	United Arab Emirates
Protected Land (%)	18.5%	19.2%	4% lower	United Arab Emirates
Big Mac Price	$5.07	$5.17	2% lower	United Arab Emirates
Urban Population (%)	84.46%	85.82%	2% lower	United Arab Emirates
ATMs per 100,000 Adults	58.04 per 100k	57.68 per 100k	1% higher	Saudi Arabia
Adult Literacy Rate	97.93%	98.81%	1% lower	United Arab Emirates
Sanitation Access (%)	97.61%	99.09%	1% lower	United Arab Emirates
CO2 Per Capita	20.38 t/person/yr	20.13 t/person/yr	1% higher	Saudi Arabia
Health Spending (% GDP)	4.6% of GDP	4.7% of GDP	1% lower	United Arab Emirates
Digital Payments Used	75.72% of adults	76.61% of adults	1% lower	United Arab Emirates
Food Waste per Person	148.88 kg/person/yr	150.41 kg/person/yr	1% lower	United Arab Emirates
Beer Consumption	0 L/person/yr	0.16 L/person/yr	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Spirits Consumption	0 L/person/yr	1.5 L/person/yr	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Time Zones Count	2.0 time zones	2.0 time zones	equal	United Arab Emirates
Coal Electricity Share	0%	0%	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Electricity Access (%)	100%	100%	equal	United Arab Emirates
Inflation Rate	1.7%	1.7%	equal	United Arab Emirates
Internet Users (%)	100%	100%	equal	United Arab Emirates
Alcohol Consumption	0 L/adult/yr	2.1 L/adult/yr	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Life Evaluation Score	6.8 pts	6.8 pts	equal	United Arab Emirates
Nobel Laureates Born per Million People	0 per 1M people	0 per 1M people	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Lowest Elevation	0 m	0 m	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
Official Languages Count	1.0	1.0	equal	United Arab Emirates
Current Account Balance (% of GDP)	-3% of GDP	15.3% of GDP	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates
All-Time Olympic Gold Medals	0 gold medals	1.0 gold medals	ranked lower	United Arab Emirates

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Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates

Analysis

United Arab Emirates leads in 65 of 119 shared metrics, while Saudi Arabia leads in 54.

Saudi Arabia's Capital Elevation is 42.7x that of United Arab Emirates (612 m vs 14 m).

Saudi Arabia's Land Area is 29.3x that of United Arab Emirates (2.15M km² vs 71.0K km²).

Saudi Arabia's Domestic Patents is 19.3x that of United Arab Emirates (1.4K vs 69).

Saudi Arabia's Agricultural Land (%) is 13.7x that of United Arab Emirates (80.77% vs 5.5%).

Saudi Arabia's Tax Revenue (% GDP) is 11.6x that of United Arab Emirates (8.2% of GDP vs 0.65% of GDP).

Key Comparisons

Capital ElevationSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

612 m

United Arab Emirates

14 m

Land AreaSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

2.15M km²

United Arab Emirates

71.0K km²

Domestic PatentsSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

1.4K

United Arab Emirates

Agricultural Land (%)Saudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

80.77%

United Arab Emirates

5.5%

Tax Revenue (% GDP)Saudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

8.2% of GDP

United Arab Emirates

0.65% of GDP

Water WithdrawalSaudi Arabia leads

Saudi Arabia

23.38 B m³

United Arab Emirates

2.3 B m³

Capital Elevation

612 m

14 m

Land Area

2.15M km²

71.0K km²

Domestic Patents

1.4K

Agricultural Land (%)

80.77%

5.5%

Tax Revenue (% GDP)

8.2% of GDP

0.65% of GDP

Water Withdrawal

23.38 B m³

2.3 B m³

Irrigated Land

7.6K km²

940 km²

Armed Forces Personnel

282.0K

63.0K

Scientific Publications

25.8K

6.4K

Land Border Length

4.3K km

1.1K km

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

8.0 sites

2.0 sites

Population

36.54M

10.09M

Teen Birth Rate

11.11 per 1k

3.1 per 1k

Border Neighbors

7.0

2.0

Total CO2 Emissions

652.51 Mt CO2e

200.56 Mt CO2e

Wind Electricity Share

0.35%

0.11%

Road Traffic Death Rate

18.5 per 100k

5.9 per 100k

Political Corruption Index

0.33

0.10

Forest Area

9.8K km²

3.2K km²

Mobile Money Accounts

36.5% of adults

13.26% of adults

Saudi Arabia vs United Arab Emirates

Think you can spot the next winner?

What matters for both sides

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Key Comparisons

All Metrics

Capital Elevation

Land Area

Domestic Patents

Agricultural Land (%)

Tax Revenue (% GDP)

Water Withdrawal

Irrigated Land

Armed Forces Personnel

Scientific Publications

Land Border Length

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Population

Teen Birth Rate

Border Neighbors

Total CO2 Emissions

Wind Electricity Share

Road Traffic Death Rate

Political Corruption Index

Forest Area

Mobile Money Accounts

Electric Generating Capacity

Electricity Generation

GDP (Nominal)

Airports

Death Rate

Coastline Length

All-Time Olympic Medals

High-Tech Exports (%)

Forest Coverage (%)

Renewable Energy (%)

Population Density

Electoral Democracy Index

Unemployment Rate

McDonald's Outlets per Million People

Solar Electricity Share

FDI Inflows (% GDP)

Tourism Revenue

Exports (% GDP)

Imports (% GDP)

Renewable Energy (%)

Dependency Ratio

Elderly Population (%)

Smoking Rate

R&D Spending (% GDP)

Tobacco Use Prevalence

Women in Parliament (%)

Seafood Consumption per Person

Researchers

Highest Elevation

EV Chargers per 100,000 People

Youth Unemployment Rate

GDP Growth Rate

Shipping Traffic

Youth Population (%)

Electricity Carbon Intensity

Air Passengers

Air Pollution (PM2.5)

Freedom of Expression Index

Suicide Rate

Women's Political Empowerment

Vehicles per 1,000 People

Liberal Democracy Index

Milk Consumption per Person

Water Stress (%)

Merchant Fleet Size

Government Debt (% GDP)

University Enrollment Rate

GNI Per Capita

Education Spending (% GDP)

Health Spending Per Capita

Obesity Rate

Minimum Paid Vacation Days