QAR
…
AED
…
Land Area
United Arab Emirates
83,600 km²
Largest
Qatar
11,581 km²
13.9% of largest
United Arab Emirates is 7.22× larger than Qatar
Population
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
11.51M
PEOPLE
Qatar
25.8% OF LARGEST
2.97M
PEOPLE
United Arab Emirates has 3.87× the population of Qatar
GDP
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
$547.2B
Qatar
39.4% OF LARGEST
$215.56B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
63K
TROOPS
Qatar
18.7% OF LARGEST
11.8K
TROOPS
United Arab Emirates has 5.34× the active personnel of Qatar
Air Force
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
552
AIRCRAFT
Qatar
20.7% OF LARGEST
114
AIRCRAFT
United Arab Emirates has 4.84× the aircraft of Qatar
Naval Assets
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Wealth
Gold Reserves
Qatar
LARGEST
110.8
Metric Tonnes
United Arab Emirates
67.1% OF LARGEST
74.4
Metric Tonnes
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
$232B
Reserves · excl. gold
Qatar
19.4% OF LARGEST
$45B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United Arab Emirates
MOST
18
billionaires
Qatar
11% OF MOST
2
billionaires
Oil
Proven Reserves
United Arab Emirates
LARGEST
113
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United Arab Emirates
NET EXPORTER
Production
3.7M b/d
Consumption
1.0M b/d
+2.8M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
Qatar
$161.7B
Exports
$161.7B
Imports
$74.5B
Trade Balance
+$87.2B
Trade Surplus
United Arab Emirates
$558.4B
Exports
$558.4B
Imports
$481.9B
Trade Balance
+$76.6B
Trade Surplus
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
Qatar
supply
United Arab Emirates
consumption
Tea
kg / person / yr
United Arab Emirates
consumption
Qatar
Beer
litres / person / yr
United Arab Emirates
consumption
Qatar
supply
Wine
litres / person / yr
United Arab Emirates
consumption
Qatar
supply
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
Qatar
consumption
United Arab Emirates
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
Qatar
2
Gold
2
Silver
5
Bronze
9
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 9
❄ Winter: 0
United Arab Emirates
1
Gold
0
Silver
1
Bronze
2
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
Qatar
United Arab Emirates
Age Demographics
Median Age
United Arab Emirates
33.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Qatar
32.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
United Arab Emirates is 0.4 years older (median) than Qatar
Youth Population
Qatar has the highest youth population at 41.7% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United Arab Emirates has the highest elderly population at 5% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
Qatar
|
United Arab Emirates
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
185
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
25.0M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
2
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
1
|
2
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
Qatar
|
United Arab Emirates
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index |
|
N/A |
| Rent Index |
|
N/A |
| Groceries Index |
|
N/A |
| Restaurant Price Index |
|
N/A |
| Local Purchasing Power |
|
N/A |
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | $11 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $73 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $1,200 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $800 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $65 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $55 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $45 | N/A |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
UAE
Qatar
Physicians per 1,000
Qatar
UAE
Hospital beds per 1,000
UAE
Qatar
Diabetes prevalence
Qatar
UAE
Obesity prevalence
Qatar
UAE
Suicide rate per 100k
Qatar
UAE
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for Qatar vs UAE — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | Qatar | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2972215 | 11513149 |
| Area (sq km) | 11581 | 83600 |
| Capital | Doha | Abu Dhabi |
| Official Language | Arabic | Arabic |
| Currency | Qatari Riyal (QAR) | United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) |
| Government Type | Absolute monarchy | Federal elective constitutional monarchy |
Military Strength
| Metric | Qatar | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 11,800 | 63,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 0 | 0 |
| Total Military Personnel | 11,800 | 63,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $11,900,000,000 | $22,755,000,000 |
| Tanks | 30 | 538 |
| Armored Vehicles | 440 | 2,000 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 28 | 181 |
| Towed Artillery | 24 | 93 |
| Rocket Projectors | 28 | 88 |
Economy
| Metric | Qatar | United Arab Emirates |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $215,559,615,385 | $547,200,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $72,525 | $47,528 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 0.1% | 2.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 35.1 | 26.4 |
| Currency | Qatari Riyal (QAR) | United Arab Emirates Dirham (AED) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United Arab Emirates is 7.2 times larger in area than Qatar.
United Arab Emirates has 3.9 times more people than Qatar.
Qatar has the highest GDP per capita at $72,525 among the selected countries.
United Arab Emirates has the largest economy with a GDP of
$547.2 billion.
United Arab Emirates has the largest active military personnel with 63,000 troops.
United Arab Emirates has the largest air force with 552 aircraft.
Qatar has the largest navy with 123 vessels.
Qatar vs United Arab Emirates: Key Comparisons
Economy: United Arab Emirates's GDP of $547B is 2.5x larger than Qatar's $216B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United Arab Emirates's population of 12M is 3.9x larger than Qatar's 3M.
Area: United Arab Emirates covers 83,600 km², making it 7.2x larger than Qatar.
Military: United Arab Emirates fields 63Thousand active troops vs Qatar's 12Thousand.
Trade: Qatar runs a trade surplus of $87B while United Arab Emirates runs a trade surplus of $77B.
Life Expectancy: United Arab Emirates leads with a life expectancy of 83 years vs Qatar's 83.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology