Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Puerto Rico, you would:
Health
be 17.6% less likely to be obese
In Puerto Rico, 42.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
live 3.6 years less
In Puerto Rico, the average life expectancy is 82 years (78 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 4.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Puerto Rico has a suicide rate of 5.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Puerto Rico, 6.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
make 37.9% less money
Puerto Rico has a GDP per capita of $40,620 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
have 71.9% more children
In Puerto Rico, there are approximately 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 36.4% more likely to die during childbirth
In Puerto Rico, approximately 11.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
Expenditures
spend 11.5% more on education
Puerto Rico spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Uruguay spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 31.7% more coastline
Puerto Rico has a total of 501 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 22.9% less likely to be murdered
Puerto Rico has a homicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 18.0% more home broadband
Puerto Rico has 28.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
live with 38.3% less strain on fresh water
Puerto Rico withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 46.7% less CO2
Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Puerto Rico vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Puerto Rico? See an in-depth size comparison.