Population:
3,387,605
(July 2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
132
[see also: Population country ranks ]
Nationality:
noun:
Uruguayan(s)
adjective:
Uruguayan
Ethnic groups:
white 87.7%, black 4.6%, indigenous 2.4%, other 0.3%, none or unspecified 5%
(2011 est.)
note: data represent primary ethnic identity
Languages:
Spanish (official)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1%
(2006 est.)
Demographic profile:
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.
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.51%
(male 336,336/female 324,563)
[see also: Age structure - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 15.14%
(male 259,904/female 252,945)
[see also: Age structure - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 39.86%
(male 670,295/female 679,850)
[see also: Age structure - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 10.79%
(male 172,313/female 193,045)
[see also: Age structure - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 14.71%
(male 200,516/female 297,838)
(2020 est.)
[see also: Age structure - 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
This is the population pyramid for Uruguay. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.
For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.
Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 55.9
(2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 33.4
(2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 22.5
(2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 4.4
(2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]
Median age:
total: 35.5 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 33.8 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 37.3 years
(2020 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
85
Population growth rate:
0.27%
(2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
175
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]
Birth rate:
12.9 births/1,000 population
(2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
146
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]
Death rate:
9.3 deaths/1,000 population
(2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
52
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]
Net migration rate:
-0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
141
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]
Population distribution:
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
Urbanization:
urban population: 95.4% of total population
(2019)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 0.46% annual rate of change
(2015-20 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]
Major urban areas - population:
1.745 million MONTEVIDEO (capital)
(2019)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 93.8 male(s)/female
(2020 est.)
[see also: Sex ratio country ranks ]
Maternal mortality rate:
17 deaths/100,000 live births
(2017 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
134
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]
Infant mortality rate:
total: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 8.6 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births
(2020 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
152
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.9 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total population country ranks ]
male: 74.8 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 81.2 years
(2020 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
73
[See also: Healthy Life Expectancy ]
[See also: Health Performance ]
Total fertility rate:
1.77 children born/woman
(2020 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
156
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]
Contraceptive prevalence rate:
79.6%
(2015)
note: percent of women aged 15-44
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]
Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 100% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - improved - urban country ranks ]
rural: 93.9% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - improved - rural country ranks ]
total: 99.7% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 6.1% of population
total: 0.3% of population
(2015 est.)
Current Health Expenditure:
9.1%
(2016)
[see also: Current Health Expenditure country ranks ]
Physicians density:
5.05 physicians/1,000 population
(2017)
[see also: Physicians density country ranks ]
Hospital bed density:
2.8 beds/1,000 population
(2014)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]
Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 96.6% of population
(2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - improved - urban country ranks ]
rural: 92.6% of population
(2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - improved - rural country ranks ]
total: 96.4% of population
(2015 est.)
unimproved:
urban: 3.4% of population
(2015 est.)
rural: 7.4% of population
(2015 est.)
total: 3.6% of population
(2015 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.6%
(2018 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
64
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000
(2018 est.)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
93
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
<200
(2018 est.)
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]
Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
27.9%
(2016)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
34
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]
Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
4%
(2011)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
90
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]
Education expenditures:
4.9% of GDP
(2017)
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
69
[see also: Education expenditures country ranks ]
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
[see also: Literacy - total population country ranks ]
male: 98.2%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 99%
(2017)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
16 years
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24
total: 24.8%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - total country ranks ]
male: 20.7%
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - male country ranks ]
female: 30.4%
(2017 est.)
[see also: Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world (CIA rank, may be based on non-current data):
49
NOTE: 1) The information regarding Uruguay on this page is re-published from the 2020 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Uruguay People 2020 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Uruguay People 2020 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
2) The rank that you see is the CIA reported rank, which may have the following issues:
a) They assign increasing rank number, alphabetically for countries with the same value of the ranked item, whereas we assign them the same rank.
b) The CIA sometimes assigns counterintuitive ranks. For example, it assigns unemployment rates in increasing order, whereas we rank them in decreasing order.
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This page was last modified 27-Jan-20