Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Colombia instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 28.8% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Colombia, that number is 24.9% of people as of 2024.
be 80.0% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Colombia, it is 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 43.9% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Colombia spends $1,758 as of 2024.
have 45.8% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Colombia has 25.4 as of 2023.
Economy
be 10.2% more likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Colombia, that number is 8.3% as of 2025.
be 83.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Colombia, however, that number is 31.8% as of 2024.
make 66.0% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Colombia, the GDP per capita is $8,562 as of 2025.
Life
have 35.2% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Colombia, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.9 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 Colombia, 59.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.4% 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 Colombia, on the other hand, 10.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.7% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Colombia, about 79.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.5% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Colombia spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Colombia, that number is 3,208 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Colombia, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 24.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Colombia, they kill 16.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 69.9% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Colombia withdraws 4% as of 2022.
find 47.9% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Colombia has 17.2 as of 2024.
use 59.1% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Colombia uses 1,551 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 30.0% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 50.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Colombia, it causes 24.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Colombia
Colombia: At a glance
How big is Colombia compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.