Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
see 4.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
be 36.8% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 17.2% more likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
have 21.2% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. United States has 36.8 as of 2022.
Economy
be 44.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 3.6 times more money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.3% 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 13.9% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 85.0% more on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 30.2 times more coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 48.8% less likely to be murdered
Uruguay has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 17.6% more home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
use 3.4 times more electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.3 times more CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. United States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.