Uruguay People - 2023
SOURCE: 2023 CIA WORLD FACTBOOK
Population
3,416,264 (2023 est.)
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) (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.
Religions
Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 15%, other 6%, agnostic 3%, atheist 10%, unspecified 24% (2014 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: 19.02% (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)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 53.6
youth dependency ratio: 29.9
elderly dependency ratio: 23.7
potential support ratio: 4.2 (2021 est.)
Median age
total: 35.5 years
male: 33.8 years
female: 37.3 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate
0.27% (2023 est.)
Birth rate
12.65 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Death rate
9.12 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)
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: 95.8% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population
1.774 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2023)
Sex ratio
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.)
Maternal mortality ratio
19 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 8.14 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.66 years
male: 75.58 years
female: 81.86 years (2023 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.75 children born/woman (2023 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
0.86 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
79.6% (2015)
note: percent of women aged 15-44
Drinking water source
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.)
Current health expenditure
9.2% of GDP (2020)
Physicians density
4.94 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density
2.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Sanitation facility access
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.)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
27.9% (2016)
Alcohol consumption per capita
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.)
Tobacco use
total: 21.5% (2020 est.)
male: 24.4% (2020 est.)
female: 18.5% (2020 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
1.8% (2018)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
55.4% (2023 est.)
Education expenditures
4.6% of GDP (2020 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 98.5%
female: 99% (2019)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 19 years
male: 17 years
female: 20 years (2019)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 32.9%
male: 28.3%
female: 38.7% (2021 est.)
NOTE: The information regarding Uruguay on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Uruguay 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Uruguay 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.
This page was last modified 06 Dec 23, Copyright © 2023 ITA all rights reserved.