Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Switzerland instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.
be 67.7% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Switzerland, that number is 11.3% of people as of 2024.
see 3.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Switzerland spends $10,602 as of 2023.
be 43.4% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Switzerland, it is 14.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Switzerland, that number is 4.9% as of 2025.
make 4.6 times more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Switzerland, the GDP per capita is $114,769 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.7% 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 Switzerland, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.2% 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 Switzerland, on the other hand, 3.4 children do as of 2024.
have 11.2% fewer children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Switzerland, there are 8.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.6% more on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 11.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 94.7% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Switzerland, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 81.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Switzerland, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 42.3% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Switzerland has 47.0 as of 2024.
live with 46.1% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Switzerland withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 87.8% more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Switzerland uses 7,117 kWh as of 2024.
Environment
be 37.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Switzerland, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.
emit 45.9% more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Switzerland emits 3.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Switzerland
Switzerland: At a glance
How big is Switzerland compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.