If you lived in Mexico instead of Uruguay, you would:

Health

be 71.9% less likely to die by suicide

Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Mexico, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 3.0 years less

In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Mexico, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 56.4% less spent on your healthcare

Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Mexico spends $1,368 as of 2023.

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have 44.6% fewer doctors per person

Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Mexico has 25.9 as of 2022.

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Economy

be 64.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Mexico, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.

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be 71.1% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Mexico, however, that number is 29.6% as of 2024.

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make 44.9% less money

Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Mexico, the GDP per capita is $13,889 as of 2025.

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Life

have 57.8% more children

In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Mexico, there are 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.8 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 Mexico, 42.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 95.2% 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 Mexico, on the other hand, 12.1 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 14.7% less on education

Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Mexico spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 39.0% less on healthcare

Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 14.1 times more coastline

Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Mexico, that number is 9,330 km.

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Safety

be 2.2 times more likely to be murdered

Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Mexico, that number is 24.9 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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Infrastructure

find 34.2% less home broadband

Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Mexico has 21.7 as of 2024.

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live with 3.7 times more strain on fresh water

Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Mexico withdraws 45% as of 2022.

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use 29.9% less electricity

Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Mexico uses 2,658 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 87.5% more likely to die from air pollution

In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Mexico, it causes 30.0 as of 2019.

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emit 41.6% more CO2

Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this

Mexico: At a glance

Mexico is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 1,943,945 sq km. The site of several advanced Amerindian civilizations - including the Olmec, Toltec, Teotihuacan, Zapotec, Maya, and Aztec - Mexico was conquered and colonized by Spain in the early 16th century. Administered as the Viceroyalty of New Spain for three centuries, it achieved its independence early in the 19th century. The global financial crisis beginning in late 2008 caused a massive economic downturn the following year, although growth returned quickly in 2010. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely indigenous population in the impoverished southern states. The elections held in 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that an opposition candidate - Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) - defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). He was succeeded in 2006 by another PAN candidate Felipe CALDERON, but Enrique PENA NIETO regained the presidency for the PRI in 2012. Since 2007, Mexico's powerful drug-trafficking organizations have engaged in bloody feuding, resulting in tens of thousands of drug-related homicides.
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How big is Mexico compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.

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