Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
have 20.6% more doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
live 3.7 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 2.4 times more likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
see 61.7% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 94.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
be 19.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Uruguay, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2024.
make 65.8% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 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 Netherlands, 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 Netherlands, 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.
Geography
see 46.3% more coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 16.3 times more likely to be murdered
Netherlands 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 3.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 27.7% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 23.1% less home broadband
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
use 40.7% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 61.1% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 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 Netherlands, 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: Netherlands vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.