Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uruguay instead of Switzerland, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years less
In Switzerland, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 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 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Switzerland, 11.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uruguay, that number is 35.0% of people as of 2024.
see 70.4% less spent on your healthcare
Switzerland spends $10,602 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uruguay spends $3,135 as of 2023.
be 76.5% more likely to die by suicide
Switzerland has a suicide rate of 14.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uruguay, it is 24.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Switzerland, 4.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uruguay, that number is 7.5% as of 2025.
make 78.0% less money
Switzerland has a GDP per capita of $114,769 as of 2025, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $25,216 as of 2025.
Life
have 12.6% more children
In Switzerland, there are approximately 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Switzerland, approximately 5.0 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 Switzerland, 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.
Expenditures
spend 22.8% less on healthcare
Switzerland spends 11.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 9.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 18.8 times more likely to be murdered
Switzerland has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 11.2 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 5.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Switzerland, road accidents kill 2.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uruguay, they kill 13.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 29.7% less home broadband
Switzerland has 47.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Uruguay has 33.0 as of 2024.
live with 85.4% more strain on fresh water
Switzerland withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uruguay withdraws 12% as of 2022.
use 46.8% less electricity
Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 31.5% less CO2
Switzerland emits 3.8 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 Switzerland, 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Switzerland vs. Uruguay
Uruguay: At a glance
How big is Uruguay compared to Switzerland? See an in-depth size comparison.