Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 43.4% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
be 66.3% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 9.0 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.2% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
have 91.9% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
have 32.9% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Botswana scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
make 69.2% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Botswana, there are 24.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 5.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 37.5% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 30.6% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 6.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 69.3% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Botswana spends 8.1% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Safety
be 26.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 81.5% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Botswana withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 77.5% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
use 56.7% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Botswana uses 1,641 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.