Quality of life comparison
If you lived in New Zealand instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 3.7 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In New Zealand, that number is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 77.8% more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). New Zealand spends $5,576 as of 2024.
be 51.8% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In New Zealand, it is 11.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 22.7% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. New Zealand has 36.1 as of 2022.
Economy
be 32.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In New Zealand, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
make 96.7% more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in New Zealand, the GDP per capita is $49,591 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.3% 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 New Zealand, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.5% 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 New Zealand, on the other hand, 4.0 children do as of 2024.
have 12.6% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In New Zealand, there are 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.5% more on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 10.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 22.9 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In New Zealand, that number is 15,134 km.
Safety
be 87.0% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In New Zealand, that number is 1.5 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 49.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In New Zealand, they kill 6.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.2% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. New Zealand has 38.0 as of 2024.
live with 33.2% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. New Zealand withdraws 8% as of 2022.
use 2.1 times more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. New Zealand uses 7,989 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 25.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In New Zealand, it causes 12.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. New Zealand
New Zealand: At a glance
How big is New Zealand compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.