Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon became an important commercial center due to its natural harbor. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence in 1825 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 (or Movimiento de Liberación Nacional-Tupamaros (MLN-T)), 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 restored in 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio (FA) Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and National (Blanco) parties. The left-of-center retained the presidency and control of both chambers of congress until 2019. Uruguay’s political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.
land: 175,015 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
border countries (2): Argentina 541 km; Brazil 1,050 km
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
mean elevation: 109 m
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 76.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 10.2% (2018 est.)
other: 2.6% (2018 est.)
3,416,264 (2023 est.)
noun: Uruguayan(s)
adjective: Uruguayan
White 87.7%, Black 4.6%, Indigenous 2.4%, other 0.3%, none or unspecified 5% (2011 est.)
note: data represent primary ethnic identity
Spanish (official) (many speak the Rioplatense dialect)
major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 15%, other 6%, agnostic 3%, atheist 10%, unspecified 24% (2014 est.)
Uruguay rates high for most development indicators and is known for its secularism, liberal social laws, and well-developed social security, health, and educational systems. It is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the entire population has access to clean water. Uruguay’s provision of free primary through university education has contributed to the country’s high levels of literacy and educational attainment. However, the emigration of human capital has diminished the state’s return on its investment in education. Remittances from the roughly 18% of Uruguayans abroad amount to less than 1 percent of national GDP. The emigration of young adults and a low birth rate are causing Uruguay’s population to age rapidly.In the 1960s, Uruguayans for the first time emigrated en masse - primarily to Argentina and Brazil - because of economic decline and the onset of more than a decade of military dictatorship. Economic crises in the early 1980s and 2002 also triggered waves of emigration, but since 2002 more than 70% of Uruguayan emigrants have selected the US and Spain as destinations because of better job prospects. Uruguay had a tiny population upon its independence in 1828 and welcomed thousands of predominantly Italian and Spanish immigrants, but the country has not experienced large influxes of new arrivals since the aftermath of World War II. More recent immigrants include Peruvians and Arabs.
0-14 years: 19.02% (male 330,536/female 319,132)
15-64 years: 65.55% (male 1,110,881/female 1,128,546)
65 years and over: 15.43% (2023 est.) (male 213,750/female 313,419)
total dependency ratio: 53.6
youth dependency ratio: 29.9
elderly dependency ratio: 23.7
potential support ratio: 4.2 (2021 est.)
total: 36.2 years (2023 est.)
male: 34.6 years
female: 37.9 years
0.27% (2023 est.)
12.7 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
most of the country’s population resides in the southern half of the country; approximately 80% of the populace is urban, living in towns or cities; nearly half of the population lives in and around the capital of Montevideo
urban population: 95.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.774 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2023)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2023 est.)
19 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
total: 8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
male: 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 7 deaths/1,000 live births
total population: 78.7 years (2023 est.)
male: 75.6 years
female: 81.9 years
1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)
0.86 (2023 est.)
79.6% (2015)
note: percent of women aged 15-44
improved: urban: 100% of population
rural: 100% of population
total: 100% of population
unimproved: urban: 0% of population
rural: 0% of population
total: 0% of population (2020 est.)
9.2% of GDP (2020)
4.94 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
2.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
improved: urban: 99.2% of population
rural: 99.6% of population
total: 99.2% of population
unimproved: urban: 0.8% of population
rural: 0.4% of population
total: 0.8% of population (2020 est.)
27.9% (2016)
total: 5.42 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
beer: 1.86 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine: 2.86 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits: 0.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total: 21.5% (2020 est.)
male: 24.4% (2020 est.)
female: 18.5% (2020 est.)
1.8% (2018)
55.4% (2023 est.)
4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 98.5%
female: 99% (2019)
total: 19 years
male: 17 years
female: 20 years (2019)
water pollution from meat packing, tannery industries; heavy metal pollution; inadequate solid and hazardous waste disposal; deforestation
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping-London Convention, Marine Life Conservation
warm temperate; freezing temperatures almost unknown
agricultural land: 87.2% (2018 est.)
arable land: 10.1% (2018 est.)
permanent crops: 0.2% (2018 est.)
permanent pasture: 76.9% (2018 est.)
forest: 10.2% (2018 est.)
other: 2.6% (2018 est.)
urban population: 95.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
1.56% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
particulate matter emissions: 8.48 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
carbon dioxide emissions: 6.77 megatons (2016 est.)
methane emissions: 25.59 megatons (2020 est.)
municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,260,140 tons (2012 est.)
municipal solid waste recycled annually: 100,811 tons (2011 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 8% (2011 est.)
salt water lake(s): Lagoa Mirim (shared with Brazil) - 2,970 sq km
Rio de la Plata/Parana river mouth (shared with Brazil [s], Argentina, Paraguay) - 4,880 km; Uruguay river mouth (shared with Brazil [s] and Argentina) - 1,610 km
note – [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Guarani Aquifer System
municipal: 410 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
industrial: 80 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
agricultural: 3.17 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
172.2 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
high-income, export-oriented South American economy; South America’s largest middle class; low socioeconomic inequality; growing homicide rates; growing Chinese and EU relations; 2019 Argentine recession hurt; key milk, beef, rice, and wool exporter
$78.121 billion (2021 est.)
$74.852 billion (2020 est.)
$79.733 billion (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
4.37% (2021 est.)
-6.12% (2020 est.)
0.35% (2019 est.)
$22,800 (2021 est.)
$21,800 (2020 est.)
$23,300 (2019 est.)
note: data are in 2017 dollars
$56.108 billion (2019 est.)
7.75% (2021 est.)
9.76% (2020 est.)
7.88% (2019 est.)
Fitch rating: BBB- (2013)
Moody’s rating: Baa2 (2014)
Standard & Poors rating: BBB (2015)
note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
agriculture: 6.2% (2017 est.)
industry: 24.1% (2017 est.)
services: 69.7% (2017 est.)comparison rankings:
household consumption: 66.8% (2017 est.)
government consumption: 14.3% (2017 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 16.7% (2017 est.)
investment in inventories: -1% (2017 est.)
exports of goods and services: 21.6% (2017 est.)
imports of goods and services: -18.4% (2017 est.)
soybeans, milk, rice, maize, wheat, barley, beef, sugar cane, sorghum, oranges
food processing, electrical machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals, beverages
5.87% (2021 est.)
1.702 million (2021 est.)
10.45% (2021 est.)
10.35% (2020 est.)
8.88% (2019 est.)
total: 32.9% (2021 est.)
male: 28.3%
female: 38.7%
8.8% (2019 est.)
40.2 (2020 est.)
on food: 18.6% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 1.3% of household expenditures (2018 est.)
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 30.8% (2014 est.)
revenues: $14.991 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $17.571 billion (2020 est.)
-3.5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
60.4% of GDP (2020 est.)
50.94% of GDP (2019 est.)
47.95% of GDP (2018 est.)
note: data cover general government debt and include debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data include debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intragovernmental debt; intragovernmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions.
18.55% (of GDP) (2020 est.)
calendar year
-$1.073 billion (2021 est.)
-$448.402 million (2020 est.)
$980.513 million (2019 est.)
$18.82 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$13.596 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$17.087 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
China 29%, Brazil 12%, United States 5%, Netherlands 5%, Argentina 5% (2019)
sulfate wood pulp, beef, soybeans, concentrated milk, rice (2019)
$15.051 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$11.212 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$13.336 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
Brazil 25%, China 15%, United States 11%, Argentina 11% (2019)
crude petroleum, packaged medicines, cars, broadcasting equipment, delivery trucks (2019)
$16.963 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$16.25 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$14.504 billion (31 December 2019 est.)
$43.705 billion (2019 est.)
$42.861 billion (2018 est.)
Uruguayan pesos (UYU) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
43.555 (2021 est.)
42.013 (2020 est.)
35.255 (2019 est.)
30.725 (2018 est.)
28.676 (2017 est.)
electrification - total population: 100% (2021)
installed generating capacity: 5.348 million kW (2020 est.)
consumption: 11,461,960,000 kWh (2019 est.)
exports: 1.148 billion kWh (2020 est.)
imports: 515 million kWh (2020 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 1,329,700,000 kWh (2019 est.)comparison rankings:
fossil fuels: 2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
solar: 3.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
wind: 42.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
hydroelectricity: 30.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
biomass and waste: 21.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)
total petroleum production: 400 bbl/day (2021 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 50,200 bbl/day (2019 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil and lease condensate imports: 41,500 bbl/day (2018 est.)
crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)
42,220 bbl/day (2015 est.)
0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
9,591 bbl/day (2015 est.)
production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
consumption: 96.872 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
imports: 96.872 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
6.45 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 6.259 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 190,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
66.909 million Btu/person (2019 est.)
number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 5
CX
133 (2021)
11
note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
122
note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control
257 km gas, 160 km oil (2013)
total: 1,673 km (2016) (operational; government claims overall length is 2,961 km)
standard gauge: 1,673 km (2016) 1.435-m gauge
total: 77,732 km (2010)
paved: 7,743 km (2010)
unpaved: 69,989 km (2010)
1,600 km (2011)
total: 60 (2022)
by type: container ship 1, general cargo 4, oil tanker 4, other 51
major seaport(s): Montevideo
manyapis