Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Iraq instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 88.0% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.9 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 13.6% more likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.
see 73.1% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.
have 78.1% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.
have 28.0% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Iraq scores 59 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.
make 78.5% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Iraq, the GDP per capita is $5,410 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Iraq, there are 25.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.4 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.0% less likely to be literate
In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.
be 3.2 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.4% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Iraq, about 81.5% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.7% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 91.2% less coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.
Safety
be 65.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.6% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.
live with 4.9 times more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Iraq withdraws 60% as of 2022.
use 63.7% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Iraq uses 1,377 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 5.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.0 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 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. Iraq
Iraq: At a glance
How big is Iraq compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.