Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Guatemala instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 19.9% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% 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 Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.5 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
see 70.2% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.
have 72.6% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.
have 28.0% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Guatemala scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Guatemala, however, that number is 56.0% as of 2023.
make 73.8% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.3 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 Guatemala, 94.0 women do as of 2023.
be 17.0% less likely to be literate
In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.
be 2.8 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 34.5% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.3% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 24.6% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 39.4% less coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 23.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
live with 52.4% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Guatemala withdraws 6% as of 2022.
find 83.8% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.
use 80.7% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Guatemala uses 733 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 56.8% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 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. Guatemala
Guatemala: At a glance
How big is Guatemala compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.