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

Health

be 47.8% less likely to be obese

In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 18.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 65.3% less likely to die by suicide

Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Namibia, it is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 10.8 years less

In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 65.9% less spent on your healthcare

Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Namibia spends $1,068 as of 2023.

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have 88.2% fewer doctors per person

Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Namibia has 5.5 as of 2022.

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have 23.2% less access to essential health services

Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Namibia scores 63 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Namibia, that number is 19.3% as of 2025.

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make 80.7% less money

Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Namibia, the GDP per capita is $4,876 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.6 times more children

In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Namibia, there are 25.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 9.3 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 Namibia, 139.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 11.4% less likely to be literate

In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Namibia, it is 87.6% as of 2023.

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be 5.9 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 Namibia, on the other hand, 36.4 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 43.3% less likely to have access to electricity

In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Namibia, that number is 57% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 29.5% less likely to have internet access

In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Namibia, about 64.9% do as of 2024.

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be 13.2% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Namibia, that number is 87% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 90.8% more on education

Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Namibia spends 9.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 2.4 times more coastline

Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Namibia, that number is 1,572 km.

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Safety

be 69.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Namibia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 97.4% less strain on fresh water

Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Namibia withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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find 91.4% less home broadband

Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Namibia has 2.8 as of 2024.

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use 67.5% less electricity

Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Namibia uses 1,232 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 53.3% less CO2

Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Namibia, it causes 43.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Namibia: At a glance

Namibia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 823,290 sq km. South Africa occupied the German colony of South-West Africa during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II, when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that became Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Namibia has been governed by SWAPO since the country won independence in 1990. Hifikepunye POHAMBA was elected president in November 2004 in a landslide victory replacing Sam NUJOMA who led the country during its first 14 years of self rule. POHAMBA was reelected in November 2009.
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How big is Namibia compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.

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