Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ireland instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 4.7 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 20.2% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ireland, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ireland spends $8,772 as of 2024.
be 65.5% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ireland, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 17.1% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ireland has 38.8 as of 2023.
Economy
be 38.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ireland, that number is 4.6% as of 2025.
be 19.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Ireland, however, that number is 14.0% as of 2021.
make 5.2 times more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Ireland, the GDP per capita is $131,592 as of 2025.
Life
be 73.3% 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 Ireland, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.2% 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 Ireland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 39.1% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ireland spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 24.1% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 2.2 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Ireland, that number is 1,448 km.
Safety
be 94.2% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Ireland, that number is 0.7 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 78.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ireland, they kill 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 33.2% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ireland withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 66.2% more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ireland uses 6,298 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 18.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ireland, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ireland emits 6.0 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. Ireland
Ireland: At a glance
How big is Ireland compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.