Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Jamaica, you would:
Health
live 6.7 years longer
In Jamaica, the average life expectancy is 72 years (69 years for men, 74 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 3.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Jamaica spends $869 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
have 10.2 times more doctors per person
Jamaica has 4.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
have 10.8% more access to essential health services
Jamaica scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uruguay scores 82 as of 2021.
be 14.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Jamaica has a suicide rate of 1.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.2 times more money
Jamaica has a GDP per capita of $8,003 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Jamaica, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Jamaica, 7.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Uruguay, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2024.
Life
be 88.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Jamaica, approximately 130.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Jamaica, approximately 16.4 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.
have 14.4% fewer children
In Jamaica, there are approximately 11.4 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 13.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Jamaica, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 84% 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 13.6% less on education
Jamaica spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Uruguay spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 18.7% more on healthcare
Jamaica spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 35.4% less coastline
Jamaica has a total of 1,022 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 77.2% less likely to be murdered
Jamaica has a homicide rate of 49.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 27.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Jamaica, road accidents kill 17.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.1 times more home broadband
Jamaica has 16.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
use 3.1 times more electricity
Jamaica uses 1,205 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 27.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Jamaica, air pollution causes 22.0 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), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Jamaica vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Jamaica? See an in-depth size comparison.