Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 91.6% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
be 75.5% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.7 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 97.3% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 96.9% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 57.3% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 55.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 91.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 96.3% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.0 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 Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.9% less likely to be literate
In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 5.6 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 44.6% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 76.1% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 44.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 51.7% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 69.0% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 36.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.2% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 2.7 times more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 97.0% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.2% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.