World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Uruguay is 58% bigger than the median country.
Uruguay: 176,220 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Uruguay’s coastline is 50% longer than the median country’s.
Uruguay: 660 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,821 m above Uruguay’s.
Uruguay: 514 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 2.2 times as many people as Uruguay.
Uruguay: 3.38 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 5.1 times as densely populated as Uruguay.
Uruguay: 19 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level.
Uruguay: 174.3 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Uruguay are 1.0 cm taller than in the median country.
Uruguay: 161.6 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Uruguay is 4.7 years older than in the median country.
Uruguay: 35.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the median country have 0.5 more children on average than in Uruguay.
Uruguay: 1.4 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Uruguay are 65 or older, versus 8.6% in the median country.
Uruguay: 16.3% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level.
Uruguay: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level.
Uruguay: 1 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Uruguay’s economy is 88% larger than the median country’s.
Uruguay: $85.3 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Uruguay produces 82% more per person than the median country.
Uruguay: Int$38,315 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Uruguay than in the median country (Gini 5.6 points higher).
Uruguay: 40 (2024) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Uruguay, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Uruguay: 7.5% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Uruguay spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, the median country 1.7%.
Uruguay: 2.3% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Uruguay’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the median country’s.
Uruguay: 66% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Uruguay spends 4.4 times as much on health per person as the median country.
Uruguay: $2,076 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Uruguay live 3.7 years longer than in the median country.
Uruguay: 78.3 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the median country is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Uruguay.
Uruguay: 6.2 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Uruguay has 2.8 times as many doctors per person as the median country.
Uruguay: 4.7 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
36% of adults in Uruguay are obese, versus 24% in the median country.
Uruguay: 36.3% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level.
Uruguay: 19.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Uruguay rate their lives 0.80 points higher than in the median country.
Uruguay: 6.64 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Uruguay drink 34% more alcohol than in the median country.
Uruguay: 5.8 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Uruguay has 23% more meat per person than the median country.
Uruguay: 69.3 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Uruguay has 385 kcal more food per person per day than the median country.
Uruguay: 3,323 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 493 more hours a year than in Uruguay.
Uruguay: 1,481 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Uruguay went to school 0.61 years longer than in the median country.
Uruguay: 10.5 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Uruguay welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as the median country (2019).
Uruguay: 0.9 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
92% of people in Uruguay are online, versus 82% in the median country.
Uruguay: 92% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level.
Uruguay: 100% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in Uruguay live in cities, versus 64% in the median country.
Uruguay: 96% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Uruguay has 146 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the median country 115.
Uruguay: 146 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 43% longer than Uruguay’s.
Uruguay: 1,498 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Uruguay: no data · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 31% of the median country, but only 12% of Uruguay.
Uruguay: 12% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 27% more CO₂ than someone in Uruguay.
Uruguay: 2.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
98% of Uruguay’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country.
Uruguay: 97.8% (2025) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the median country carries 39% more fine dust than in Uruguay.
Uruguay: 11.9 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 5 times as likely to be murdered in Uruguay as in the median country.
Uruguay: 11.2 per 100k (2023) · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Uruguay are 6% deadlier than in the median country.
Uruguay: 13 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The median country is on average 5.3 °C warmer than Uruguay.
Uruguay: 17.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Uruguay gets 18% more rain than the median country.
Uruguay: 1,196 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Uruguay bigger than the median country?
Uruguay is larger. Uruguay is 58% bigger than the median country.
Which has more people, Uruguay or the median country?
The median country has 2.2 times as many people as Uruguay (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Uruguay or the median country?
People in Uruguay live 3.7 years longer than in the median country. Life expectancy at birth is 78.3 years in Uruguay and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in Uruguay or the median country?
Uruguay and the median country are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
