Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 66.9% less likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 71.2% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 11.8 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 92.2% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 93.1% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 31.7% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 21.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Uruguay, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 94.8% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.3 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.7 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 Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.4% less likely to be literate
In Uruguay, the literacy rate is 98.9% as of 2024. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 5.6 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.9% 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 81.4% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Uruguay, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.5% less on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 33.7% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 31.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 76.4% less strain on fresh water
Uruguay withdraws 12% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 97.6% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 80.8% less electricity
Uruguay uses 3,790 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.0% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.