Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 2.7 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.4% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 38.5% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 42.5% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
Economy
make 20.8% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.0% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 46.8% 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 Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.8% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.9% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 11.6% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Costa Rica spends 5.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.5% more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 57.8% more likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Costa Rica, that number is 17.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 19.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 51.2% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Costa Rica withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 29.5% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
use 39.8% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Costa Rica uses 2,282 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
emit 36.6% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Costa Rica emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.