Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iceland instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 36.5% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iceland, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iceland spends $6,927 as of 2024.
be 51.9% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iceland, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iceland, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
make 3.9 times more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Iceland, the GDP per capita is $98,323 as of 2025.
Life
be 80.0% less 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 Iceland, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 66.1% less 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 Iceland, on the other hand, 2.1 children do as of 2024.
have 14.3% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iceland, there are 11.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.6% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Iceland spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 7.5 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Iceland, that number is 4,970 km.
Safety
be 88.5% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Iceland, that number is 1.3 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 81.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iceland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.6% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iceland has 37.5 as of 2024.
live with 96.8% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iceland withdraws 0% as of 2022.
use 12.9 times more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iceland uses 48,998 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iceland, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.3 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Iceland
Iceland: At a glance
How big is Iceland compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.