Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Uruguay instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

be 73.3% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Sierra Leone, 1.5% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Uruguay, that number is 0.4% of people as of 2020.

live 19.7 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2022. In Uruguay, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2022.

be 3.2 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Uruguay, that number is 27.9% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 18.1 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Uruguay, the GDP per capita is $30,700 as of 2023.

be 82.6% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Uruguay, however, that number is 9.9% as of 2022.

be 2.6 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Uruguay, that number is 8.3% as of 2023.

Life

be 95.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Uruguay, 19.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.0 times more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Uruguay, it is 98.8% as of 2019.

be 88.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Uruguay, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2022.

have 59.1% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uruguay, there are 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 3.4 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 29% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Uruguay, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 7.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Uruguay, about 90.0% do as of 2021.

be 37.4% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Uruguay, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 49.5% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Uruguay spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 64.2% more coastline

Sierra Leone has a total of 402 km of coastline. In Uruguay, that number is 660 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Uruguay: At a glance

Uruguay is a sovereign country in South America, with a total land area of approximately 175,015 sq km. Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century launched widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.
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How big is Uruguay compared to Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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