Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Spain, you would:
Health
live 5.6 years less
In Spain, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese
In Spain, 15.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
see 36.5% less spent on your healthcare
Spain spends $4,935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Spain has a suicide rate of 8.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Spain, 10.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
be 14.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Spain, 20.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Uruguay, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2024.
make 34.7% less money
Spain has a GDP per capita of $38,627 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
have 50.8% more children
In Spain, there are approximately 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Spain, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Uruguay, 15.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Spain, approximately 2.6 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 86.7% less coastline
Spain has a total of 4,964 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.
Safety
be 16.3 times more likely to be murdered
Spain 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 3.7 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Spain, road accidents kill 3.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 72.1% less strain on fresh water
Spain withdraws 43% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
find 15.8% less home broadband
Spain has 39.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
use 27.1% less electricity
Spain uses 5,196 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 43.0% less CO2
Spain emits 4.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 60.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Spain, air pollution causes 10.0 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: Spain vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Spain? See an in-depth size comparison.