Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
have 20.6% more doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
live 4.7 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 25.4% more likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
see 64.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 62.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
be 23.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Uruguay, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2024.
make 80.8% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
be 3.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 64.1% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Uruguay spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 31.7% more on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 54.4% less coastline
Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 17.3 times more likely to be murdered
Ireland has a homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 4.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 49.7% more strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 39.8% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 57.5% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 23.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uruguay, it causes 16.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.