United Arab Emirates at its true size
United Arab Emirates covers 83,600 km², number 114 of 194 countries by area. Home to 11,513,149 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 83,600 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 11,513,149 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 138 per km² |
| Capital | Abu Dhabi |
| Local time in Abu Dhabi | |
| Time zone | UTC+4 IANA |
| Currency | UAE dirham (AED) Wikidata |
| Languages | Arabic |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Western Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Member of | BRICSOPEC |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +971 |
| Codes | AE · ARE · 784 |
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Where United Arab Emirates ranks
Among the independent states, in 43 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#86 of 19412 million people#28 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#68 of 194138 people per km²#24 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#29 of 19286% urban#10 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#177 of 1921.21 births per woman#42 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#1 of 192+4.68% a year#1 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#145 of 1929.8 births per 1,000 people#41 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#192 of 1921.0 deaths per 1,000 people#47 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#150 of 19216.0% under 15#41 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#191 of 1921.8% aged 65 and over#46 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#4 of 192+13.8 per 1,000 people#3 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#145 of 1900.02 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#36 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
- Life expectancy#16 of 19283.1 years#6 of 47 in Asia
- Infant mortality#156 of 1913.8 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#43 of 47 in Asia
- Doctors#60 of 1782.99 doctors per 1,000 people#11 of 46 in Asia
- University enrolment#54 of 14563.7% gross enrolment#10 of 42 in Asia
- Human Development Index#14 of 190an index of 0.940#2 of 46 in Asia
Economy
- GNI per capita#22 of 185$51,550 a person#4 of 45 in Asia
- Internet users#1 of 184100% online#1 of 43 in Asia
- GDP per capita (PPP)#14 of 184$79,344 a person#4 of 45 in Asia
- GDP growth#69 of 187+4.0% a year#24 of 45 in Asia
- Inflation#136 of 176+1.3% a year#30 of 42 in Asia
- Unemployment#158 of 1782.2% of the labour force#38 of 47 in Asia
- Extreme poverty#136 of 1490.0% under $3.00 a day#25 of 33 in Asia
- Income inequality (Gini)#140 of 149a Gini index of 26.4#31 of 33 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#165 of 1781.4% of jobs#43 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#17 of 17830.6% of jobs#8 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#60 of 17868.0% of jobs#13 of 47 in Asia
- Foreign investment#22 of 1848.3% of GDP#7 of 44 in Asia
- Exports#7 of 168106.8% of GDP#2 of 42 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#2 of 191203 subscriptions per 100 people#1 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#9 of 18518.3 tonnes a person#7 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#166 of 1925% forest#35 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#177 of 1901.0% renewable#38 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#1 of 192100.0% with electricity#1 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#8 of 19157.2 µg/m³#6 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#85 of 19119.2% of the land protected#15 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#173 of 1900.8% of the land arable#42 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#2 of 1761,509.9% of its available fresh water#2 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#176 of 18078 mm a year#45 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the United Arab Emirates’s area, lit up on the map →
- Austria1.0×United Arab Emirates and Austria are almost exactly the same size.
- Azerbaijan0.97×United Arab Emirates is 3% smaller than Azerbaijan.
- Serbia0.94×United Arab Emirates is 6% smaller than Serbia.
- Czechia1.06×United Arab Emirates is 6% larger than Czechia.
- Jordan0.94×United Arab Emirates is 6% smaller than Jordan.
- Portugal0.91×United Arab Emirates is 9% smaller than Portugal.
How many times does United Arab Emirates fit into…
- Russia: about 204 times
- Canada: about 119 times
- United States: about 118 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes United Arab Emirates shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Summits
- Jabal Yibir1,527 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside United Arab Emirates. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about United Arab Emirates
- How big is United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates covers 83,600 km², which makes it number 114 of 194 countries by area. About 11,513,149 people live there (2025), 138 per km².
- Is United Arab Emirates bigger than Austria?
- United Arab Emirates and Austria are almost exactly the same size. United Arab Emirates: 83,600 km²; Austria: 83,879 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border United Arab Emirates?
- United Arab Emirates shares a land border with Saudi Arabia, Oman.