Uruguay
Country in Americas
CountryScope
In brief
Population: 3.4M (2025). World rank 133 of 216; in Americas, 22 of 46. Area: 181,034 km². World rank 92 of 249; in Americas, 15 of 56. Life expectancy: 78.3 years (2024). World rank 64 of 216 (1 = best); in Americas, 11 of 46. From 2015 to 2025: GDP $57.7B → $85.3B and GDP per person $17,126 → $25,216. Better than all its neighbours (Argentina and Brazil): life expectancy and GDP per person.
State
- Official name
- Oriental Republic of Uruguay
- Local name
- Uruguay
- Capital
- Montevideo
- Region
- Americas
- Form of government
- Presidential republic
- UN member
- Yes
- Head of state
- Yamandú Orsi
- Head of government
- Yamandú Orsi
- Independence
- August 25, 1825
- Women in parliament
- 31.3% 2025
Key figures
- Population
- 3,384,688 2025
- Area
- 181,034 km²
- GDP
- $85.3B 2025
- GDP per person
- $25,216 2025
- Life expectancy
- 78.3 years 2024
Practical information
- Languages
- Spanish
- Currency
- Uruguayan Peso (UYU)
- Time zones
- UTC−3
- Calling code
- +598
- Emergency numbers
- 911
- Driving side
- Right
- Plug types
- C, F, I, L
- Mains voltage
- 230 V
Territory
- Sea access
- Has a coastline
- Coastline, km
- 660
- Neighbours
- Argentina, Brazil
- Agricultural land
- 87.4% 2024
Elevation
- Highest point
- Cerro Catedral, 514 m
- Lowest point
- Atlantic Ocean, 0 m
- Mean elevation, m
- 109
Climate
- Average temperature in the capital, °C
- 17
- Warmest month in the capital
- January, 23°C
- Coldest month in the capital
- July, 10°C
- Precipitation, mm per year
- 1,300 2022
Population and migration
- Population density
- 18.7 per km² 2025
- Population growth per year
- -0.1% 2025
- Living in cities
- 95.7% 2025
- Net migration per year
- -1.3K 2025
- Born in another country
- 4.7% 2024
Age and life expectancy
- Aged 0–14
- 17.9% 2025
- Aged 15–64
- 65.8% 2025
- Aged 65 and over
- 16.3% 2025
- Life expectancy, women
- 82 years 2024
- Life expectancy, men
- 74.4 years 2024
Births and deaths
- Children per woman
- 1.4 2024
- Births per 1,000 people
- 9.8 2024
- Deaths per 1,000 people
- 9.9 2024
Society
- Religions
- Catholic 78.5%, no religion 61.9%, Protestant 25.1%, and other 11.6% (2023)
Quality of governance (100 = best)
- Rule of law, score 0–100
- 74.1 2025
- Control of corruption, score 0–100
- 79.4 2025
- Government effectiveness, score 0–100
- 70 2025
- Regulatory quality, score 0–100
- 65 2025
- Voice and accountability, score 0–100
- 80 2025
Size and growth
- GDP per person at purchasing power parity
- $38,315 2025
- GDP growth per year
- +1.8% 2025
Income and prices
- Income level (World Bank)
- High income
- Gross national income per person
- $24,020 2025
- Inflation
- +4.7% 2025
- Price level, USA = 100
- 66 2025
Structure and jobs
- Agriculture, share of GDP
- 6.4% 2025
- Industry, share of GDP
- 16.9% 2025
- Services, share of GDP
- 65.2% 2025
- Unemployment
- 7.5% 2025
- Youth unemployment, ages 15–24
- 25.2% 2025
- Women in work or seeking work
- 57.3% 2025
Trade and finance
- Exports, share of GDP
- 27.1% 2025
- Imports, share of GDP
- 22.6% 2025
- Current account balance, share of GDP
- -0.5% 2025
- Foreign direct investment, share of GDP
- +2.3% 2025
- Remittances received, share of GDP
- 0.2% 2025
- Tax revenue, share of GDP
- 17.9% 2024
Poverty and inequality
- Gini index (0 = full equality)
- 40 2024
- Living on under $3 a day
- 0.2% 2024
Education
- Adult literacy
- 98.9% 2024
- Primary school enrolment
- 105% 2023
- Secondary school enrolment
- 119% 2023
- Higher education enrolment
- 80% 2023
- Public spending on education, share of GDP
- 4.8% 2023
Healthcare
- Health spending, share of GDP
- 9% 2023
- Health spending per person
- $2,076 2023
- Out-of-pocket health spending, share of total
- 17.1% 2023
- Doctors per 1,000 people
- 4.7 2022
- Nurses and midwives per 1,000 people
- 7.4 2022
- Hospital beds per 1,000 people
- 2.4 2023
- Children vaccinated against measles
- 97% 2024
Public health
- Infant deaths per 1,000 births
- 6.2 2024
- Deaths under age 5 per 1,000 births
- 7.4 2024
- Maternal deaths per 100,000 births
- 15 2023
- Diabetes prevalence, ages 20–79
- 7.8% 2024
- Overweight adults
- 67.6% 2022
- Adults who use tobacco
- 19.3% 2024
Living conditions
- Access to safe drinking water
- 99.6% 2024
- Access to basic sanitation
- 99.2% 2024
- Access to clean cooking fuels
- 99% 2024
Safety
- Homicides per 100,000 people
- 11.3 2023
- Road deaths per 100,000 people
- 14.8 2019
- Suicides per 100,000 people
- 24.8 2021
- Political stability and absence of violence, score 0–100
- 88.4 2025
- Natural hazards
- floods and droughts
Air and emissions
- Air pollution PM2.5, µg/m³
- 10.9 2023
- CO₂ emissions, tonnes per person
- 2.6 2024
- All greenhouse gases, tonnes CO₂e per person
- 13.2 2024
Nature and water
- Forest cover
- 11.5% 2024
- Protected areas
- 2.4% 2025
- Renewable fresh water, m³ per person
- 27,190 2022
- Water stress, share of fresh water withdrawn
- 12.1% 2022
Internet and communications
- Using the internet
- 92% 2024
- Mobile subscriptions per 100 people
- 146 2024
- Home broadband per 100 people
- 33 2024
- Internet domain
- .uy
Energy
- Access to electricity
- 100% 2024
- Electricity use, kWh per person
- 4,013 2024
- Renewable share of energy use
- 57.8% 2021
- Electricity from renewables
- 84.3% 2021
- Electricity from fossil fuels
- 0.9% 2024
Transport
- Air passengers per year
- 563,632 2009
- Airports
- 65 2025
- Railways, km
- 1,673 2016
Science and innovation
- Research spending, share of GDP
- 0.7% 2023
- Researchers per million people
- 938 2024
- Scientific articles per year
- 1,060 2023
- Patent applications by residents
- 13 2024
- High-tech share of manufactured exports
- 9.8% 2024