Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
have 29.4% more doctors per person
New Zealand has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Uruguay has 46.7 as of 2022.
live 3.7 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 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.
see 43.8% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.0% more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
make 49.2% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.0% more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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 11.2% fewer children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.3% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.6% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 7.7 times more likely to be murdered
New Zealand has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 97.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.2% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
live with 49.7% more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 52.6% less electricity
New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 57.2% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 33.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 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: New Zealand vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.