Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 5.3 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 76.1% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 62.1% more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 44.2% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
be 11.2% more likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
make 43.7% more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 62.9% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 52.0% fewer children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.7% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. South Korea spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
Geography
see 3.7 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 95.7% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 0.5 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 46.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 44.7% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
use 3.0 times more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. South Korea uses 11,350 kWh as of 2024.
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. South Korea withdraws 85% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 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. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.