Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Costa Rica, you would:
Health
see 62.6% more spent on your healthcare
Costa Rica spends $1,928 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
have 73.9% more doctors per person
Costa Rica has 26.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
live 2.7 years less
In Costa Rica, the average life expectancy is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Costa Rica has a suicide rate of 8.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 26.3% more money
Costa Rica has a GDP per capita of $19,970 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Costa Rica, approximately 24.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Costa Rica, approximately 9.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Uruguay, on the other hand, 6.2 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.4% less on education
Costa Rica spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Uruguay spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.3% more on healthcare
Costa Rica spends 6.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 48.8% less coastline
Costa Rica has a total of 1,290 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 36.6% less likely to be murdered
Costa Rica has a homicide rate of 17.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 16.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Costa Rica, road accidents kill 15.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 41.9% more home broadband
Costa Rica has 23.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
use 66.1% more electricity
Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
live with 2.0 times more strain on fresh water
Costa Rica withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 57.7% more CO2
Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Costa Rica vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Costa Rica? See an in-depth size comparison.