Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
live 12.6 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.
see 13.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
have 17.6 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
have 70.8% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uruguay scores 82 as of 2021.
be 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
be 4.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 7.7 times more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 93.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.3% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 98.9% as of 2024.
be 77.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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.
have 62.2% fewer children
In Ghana, there are approximately 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 27.4% more likely to have internet access
In Ghana, approximately 72.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uruguay, about 92.0% do as of 2024.
be 10.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 63.6% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Uruguay spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 3.1 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 22.4% more coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 49.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 6.1 times more likely to be murdered
Ghana has a homicide rate of 1.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 50.1 times more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
use 6.7 times more electricity
Ghana uses 565 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
live with 91.0% more strain on fresh water
Ghana withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
be 82.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uruguay, it causes 16.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.7 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.