Uruguay Population
Uruguay had an estimated population of 3,384,688 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 133rd most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.04% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.06% a year.
Uruguay at a glance
How Uruguay's population is changing
Uruguay's population is roughly stable: −0.06% a year, which works out to about −1,899 people per year, or −5 a day. Births (9.8 per 1,000) and deaths (9.9 per 1,000) alone would give −0.01% a year; net migration removes about 1,338 people a year (−0.04%). Roughly one in every 2,427 people on Earth lives in Uruguay.
Population of Uruguay since 1960
In 1960, Uruguay had 2,529,957 people. By 2025 that was 3,384,688 — 1.3× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 10%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2,529,957 | — |
| 1970 | 2,790,807 | +10.3% |
| 1980 | 2,951,953 | +5.8% |
| 1990 | 3,104,403 | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 3,266,206 | +5.2% |
| 2010 | 3,318,580 | +1.6% |
| 2020 | 3,398,968 | +2.4% |
| 2025 | 3,384,688 | −0.4% |
Uruguay from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Uruguay at about 55,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 3,384,686 in 2025 (62× 1800) and projects 2,245,889 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2020 at 3,398,966 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 55,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 134,084 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 919,712 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 2,234,414 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 3,266,212 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 3,384,686 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 3,254,355 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 2,827,729 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 2,245,889 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Uruguay
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 3,384,688. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montevideo | 1,240,244 | UN urban centre | 36.64% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Las Piedras | 103,682 | UN urban centre | 3.06% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Maldonado | 102,414 | UN urban centre | 3.03% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Salto | 94,454 | UN urban centre | 2.79% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 5 | Paysandú | 81,290 | UN urban centre | 2.40% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 6 | Rivera | 72,321 | UN urban centre | 2.14% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Tacuarembó | 60,586 | GeoNames settlement | 1.79% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Melo | 56,013 | GeoNames settlement | 1.65% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Artigas | 43,897 | GeoNames settlement | 1.30% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Mercedes | 43,543 | GeoNames settlement | 1.29% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Uruguay compares
Uruguay has almost the same population as Mongolia (3,568,978).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Uruguay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #131 |  Eritrea | 3,607,003 | +7% | compare → |
| #132 |  Mongolia | 3,568,978 | +5% | compare → |
| #134 |  Puerto Rico | 3,184,835 | −6% | compare → |
| #135 |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 3,140,095 | −7% | compare → |
Compare Uruguay with any country →
Same region (Latin America & Caribbean): Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Venezuela.
Explore around Uruguay
Land neighbours (2)
Brazil 212,812,405 · 62.9× the population · compare
Argentina 45,851,378 · 13.5× the population · compare
Uruguay's 2 neighbours together hold 258,663,783 people — 76.4× Uruguay's population. The most populous is Brazil (212,812,405).
In its region
Uruguay is the 20th most populous of the 42 economies in Latin America & Caribbean, holding 0.5% of the region's 666,592,570 people.
Rankings featuring Uruguay
Cities
Montevideo, Las Piedras, Maldonado, Salto, Paysandú, Rivera, Tacuarembó, Melo — all Uruguay's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Uruguay when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.