Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sweden instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.9% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sweden, that number is 17.5% of people as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Sweden spends $7,770 as of 2024.
be 44.1% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sweden, it is 13.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 2.5 times more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Sweden, the GDP per capita is $63,133 as of 2025.
be 15.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sweden, that number is 8.7% 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 Sweden, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 67.7% 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 Sweden, on the other hand, 2.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.8% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Sweden spends 7.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 24.4% more on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 11.2% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Sweden, that number is 3,218 km.
Safety
be 89.8% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Sweden, that number is 1.1 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 83.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sweden, they kill 2.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.9% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Sweden has 40.6 as of 2024.
live with 70.3% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Sweden withdraws 4% as of 2022.
use 3.2 times more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Sweden uses 12,226 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 50.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Sweden, it causes 8.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.9% more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sweden emits 3.6 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. Sweden
Sweden: At a glance
How big is Sweden compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.