Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 12.0 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In South Africa, that number is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
see 56.8% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Africa spends $1,354 as of 2023.
have 83.0% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Africa has 7.9 as of 2022.
have 13.4% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Africa scores 71 as of 2021.
Economy
be 4.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Africa, that number is 32.4% as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In South Africa, however, that number is 37.9% as of 2022.
make 73.8% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.
Life
have 88.6% more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Africa, there are 18.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 7.9 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 South Africa, 118.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.9 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 South Africa, on the other hand, 24.2 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 12.3% 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 South Africa, that number is 88% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 14.8% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In South Africa, about 78.4% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 26.5% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Africa spends 6.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.2 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
Safety
be 3.9 times more likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Africa, that number is 43.7 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 88.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Africa, they kill 24.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 83.8% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Africa has 5.3 as of 2024.
live with 5.6 times more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Africa withdraws 68% as of 2022.
use 14.3% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Africa uses 3,247 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 2.9 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Africa, it causes 47.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.7 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. South Africa
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.