Facts about Uruguay

1. Cattle: Uruguay has 3.8 cattle per capita, making it the country with the highest concentration of cattle in the world. There are approximately 12 million cattle in total

2. Laptops for everyone: In the ‘One Laptop per Child’ program, Uruguay was the first country to purchase laptops for all its school children. Since there are approximately 362,000 school children in Uruguay, over 360,000 computers were purchased (approximately 100,000 in 2007, over 200,000 in 2008 and over 160,000 in 2009)

3. National anthem: Uruguay has the world’s longest national anthem (Orientales, la Patria o la Tumba), lasting around 6 minutes. Incidentally, the song was written by the same man (Francisco Acuña de Figueroa) who wrote the Paraguayan national anthem

4. McHuevo: At McDonald’s in Uruguay you can get a McHuevo, which is a hamburger with poached egg

5. Football: Uruguay has won the World Cup twice; the first time in 1930 in the world’s first World Cup and the second time in 1950 when they beat host nation Brazil in the final. In addition, Uruguay has won the Copa América more times than any other nation

Fact: Uruguay has numerous achievements in football — Attribution: jikatu – Flickr.com

Fact: Uruguay has won the World Cup twice (in 1930 and 1950). In the years 2000 – 2010, Uruguay exported 1,414 footballers (almost as many players as its neighbors Brazil and Argentina)

6. Football players: In the period 2000 – 2010, Uruguay exported 1,414 footballers abroad (that’s 128 football teams!). In total, Uruguay exported almost as many footballers as Brazil and Argentina, even though the two countries are 58 and 12 times larger than Uruguay in terms of population

7. Cannabis: Uruguay legalized the use of cannabis in 2013. Unlike most other countries where the drug is legalized, Uruguay has chosen to allow the public to produce cannabis in order to undercut the drug cartels

8. Corruption: Uruguay is the second least corrupt country in South America (only surpassed by Chile)

9. Marriage: Same-sex marriage (gay marriage) has been allowed in Uruguay since 2013

10. Name: The official name of Uruguay is: La República Oriental del Uruguay, which actually means the republic east of Uruguay (the river), but today the name translates to the country’s official title ‘Oriental Republic of Uruguay’. The name ‘Uruguay’ comes from the Uruguay River, but the origin of its name is uncertain. However, it is known that the name originates from the Guaraní language and means “river of the painted birds”

Fact: Punta del Este is the southernmost point in Uruguay — Attribution: jikatu + Jimmy Baikovicius + Gonzalo S. Muñiz Marton – Flickr.com

Fact: At the southernmost point of Uruguay, ‘Punta del Este’ is a city (and resort) and a very popular tourist destination

Geographic facts

Location: The southern part of South America. Between Brazil and Argentina with coastline towards the South Atlantic Ocean
Country borders: Brazil (1,068 km) and Argentina (580 km)
Coastline: 660 km
Climate: Warm to temperate. Temperatures can drop as low as -4 degrees Celsius in some places, although overall temperatures rarely drop below freezing
Landscape: Mostly rolling plains and small hills. Fertile low-lying coastal areas
Lowest point: 0 m (Atlantic Ocean)
Highest point: 514 m (Cerro Catedral)
Natural resources: Fish, hydropower and small deposits of minerals
Largest city: Montevideo
Capital city: Montevideo
Total area (square kilometers): 176.220,00 (2021)
Land areas (km2): 173.706,57 (2015)
Urban areas (km2): 1.017,87 (2015)
Agricultural land (km2): 140.696,05 (2021)
Agricultural area (% of total area): 80,39 (2021)
Forest area (% of land area): 11,72 (2021)
Plant species (higher), endangered: 22,00 (2018)
CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita): 1,90 (2020)

Demographic facts

Population

Population density (people per km2 total area): 6,20 (2021)
Population of largest city: 19,58 (2021)
Population growth (annual %): 1.774.396,00 (2023)
Population, total: 0,01 (2023)
Population growth in urban areas (annual %): 0,10 (2023)
Population in urban areas (% of total population): 71,65 (2022)
Population in rural areas (% of total population): 4,23 (2023)
Population growth in rural areas (annual %): -1,93 (2023)
Etniske grupper: 88% white, 8% mestizos (a mix of indigenous Indians and whites), 4% black. In addition, there are also a few Native Americans
Sprog: Spanish is the official language. In addition, Portunol (a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish) is also spoken, as well as a very small number of foreign languages such as Portuguese, Italian, Russian, German and others.
Religioner: 47.1% Roman Catholics, 11.1% non-Catholic Christians, 23.3% Christians with no specific church affiliation (i.e. neither Catholic, Orthodox, etc.), 0.3% Jews, 17.2% atheists or agnostics and 1.1% others. Although 47% of Uruguay's population is Catholic, Uruguay is the least religious country in all of South and North America
Net immigration: 5,60 (2022)

Birth and death rates

Fertility rate, total (births per woman): 1,48 (2022)
Birth rate, gross (per 1,000 inhabitants): 10,42 (2022)
Teenage mothers (% of women aged 15-19 who have had children or are pregnant): 5,61 (2020)
Death rate, gross (per 1,000 people): 9,88 (2022)
Life expectancy at birth, women (years): 81,69 (2022)
Life expectancy at birth, men (years): 74,15 (2022)
Life expectancy at birth, all (years): 78,00 (2022)
Mortality caused by traffic accidents (per 100,000 inhabitants): 138,53 (2022)
Mortality, women (per 1,000 adult women): 14,80 (2019)
Mortality, male (per 1,000 adult males): 75,81 (2022)
Suicide rate, women (per 100,000 women): 140,74 (2022)
Mortality, infant (per 1,000 live births): 34,50 (2019)

Work, income and education

Wage earners, total (% of total labor force): n/a
Income share of the highest 10%: 30,50 (2022)
Income share of the lowest 10%: 2,20 (2022)
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force): 9,46 (2023)
Labor force, total: 1.775.121,00 (2023)
Workforce with basic education (% of the workforce): 61,26 (2023)
Labor force with medium education (% of labor force): 72,18 (2023)
Number of poor cf. national poverty limits (% of the population): 3.423.108,00 (2023)
Proportion of the population with moderate or severe food insecurity (%): 15,20 (2021)
School enrolments, primary school (gross %): 105,50 (2022)
Youth unemployment, all young people (% of total labor force aged 15 - 24): 95,77 (2023)
Young people not in education, employment or training, total (% of all young people): 16,85 (2023)
Literacy/literacy, total adults (% of population over 15): 257.468,16 (2017)

Spending

Household (and NPIS) consumption expenditure (US$): 47.281.241.025,69 (2015)
Electricity consumption (kWh per inhabitant): 3.093,17 (2014)
Inhabitants using the Internet (% of the population): 89,87 (2022)
Mobile subscriptions (per 100 people): 10,00 (2018)
Number of smokers, total (over 15 years): 21,50 (2020)
Alcohol consumption per capita (litres of pure alcohol, expected estimates, +15 years): 30,13 (2023)

Business and tourism

Employers, total (% of total labor force): 3,60 (2022)
New companies (number of registrations): 3,13 (2022)
New businesses (new registrations per 1,000 inhabitants aged 15 - 64): -1.500,00 (2023)
Listed companies, total: 17,00 (1999)
Business conditions (0 = lowest grade to 100 = highest grade): 1.498,00 (2021)
International tourism, number of arrivals: 3.480.000,00 (2019)
International tourism, number of departures: 2.199.000,00 (2019)
Railway lines (total route kilometers): 1.498,00 (2021)
Railways, number of passengers transported (million passenger-kilometres): 8,00 (2015)

Health

Hospital beds (per 1,000 inhabitants): 2,48 (2021)
Suicide rate, men (per 100,000 men): 8,90 (2019)
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 inhabitants): 6.999,00 (2022)
Doctors (per 1,000 inhabitants): 11,55 (2021)
Prevalence of HIV, total (% of population aged 15 - 49): 277,19 (2023)

Facts Uruguay's economy

GDP and GNI

BNP (US$): 8,10 (2023)
GDP growth (annual %): 61,54 (2019)
GDP per capita (US$): 77.240.831.587,17 (2023)
GDP, KPP (US$): 0,37 (2023)
BNI (US$): 22.564,53 (2023)
GNI growth (annual %): 116.596.237.470,14 (2023)
Gross savings (% of GDP): 71.856.280.960,99 (2023)

Inflation, interest rates and consumer prices

Deposit rate (%): 22,42 (2021)
Lending rate (%): 5,87 (2023)
Inflation, consumer prices (annual %): 16,36 (2023)
Consumer Price Index (2010 = 100): 277,19 (2023)

Trade and production

Trade (% of GDP): 12,17 (2017)
Vareeksport (US$): 9,46 (2023)
Vareimport (US$): 7.304.991.368,53 (2023)
Food exports (% of merchandise exports): 66,16 (2023)
Food imports (% of goods imports): 15,70 (2023)
Food Production Index (2004 - 2006 = 100): 97,82 (2022)
Index of animal production (2004 - 2006 = 100): 15,60 (2019)

Industry

Industry (including construction), value added (% of GDP): 2,97 (2023)
Industry (including construction), value added (US$): 13,76 (2023)
Industry, value added (% of GDP): 11,90 (2023)
Industry, value added (US$): 109,58 (2022)

Military

Armed forces, total: 22.000,00 (2020)
Military expenditure (% of GDP): 9.193.000.000,00 (2023)
Military Expenditure (US$): 12.486.000.000,00 (2023)

Others

Current health expenditure (% of GDP): 22,42 (2021)
Labor tax and contribution (% of company profit): 12.635.273.667,26 (2023)
Development Assistance (ODA) received per capita (US$): 1,90 (2022)
Social contributions (% of income): 1.375.569.573,17 (2022)

Geographic facts