Uruguay: People & Society#
| Population | 3,351,016 (July 2016 est.) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | noun: Uruguayan(s) adjective: Uruguayan |
| Ethnic groups | white 88%, mestizo 8%, black 4%, Amerindian (practically nonexistent) |
| Languages | Spanish (official), Portunol, Brazilero (Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier) |
| 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) |
| 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: 20.44% (male 348,547/female 336,435) 15-24 years: 15.78% (male 267,848/female 260,990) 25-54 years: 39.23% (male 649,702/female 664,933) 55-64 years: 10.41% (male 164,201/female 184,784) 65 years and over: 14.13% (male 189,197/female 284,379) (2016 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 55.9% youth dependency ratio: 33.4% elderly dependency ratio: 22.5% potential support ratio: 4.4% (2015 est.) |
| Median age | total: 34.7 years male: 33 years female: 36.4 years (2016 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 0.27% (2016 est.) |
| Birth rate | 13 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Death rate | 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) |
| Net migration rate | -0.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 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: 95.3% of total population (2015) rate of urbanization: 0.53% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.) |
| Major urban areas - population | MONTEVIDEO (capital) 1.707 million (2015) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2016 est.) |
| Maternal mortality rate | 15 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 8.5 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 77.2 years male: 74.1 years female: 80.5 years (2016 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.81 children born/woman (2016 est.) |
| Health expenditures | 8.6% of GDP (2014) |
| Physicians density | 3.74 physicians/1,000 population (2008) |
| Hospital bed density | 2.5 beds/1,000 population (2012) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 93.9% of population total: 99.7% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 6.1% of population total: 0.3% of population (2015 est.) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 96.6% of population rural: 92.6% of population total: 96.4% of population unimproved: urban: 3.4% of population rural: 7.4% of population total: 3.6% of population (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.48% (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 10,100 (2015 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 300 (2015 est.) |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 27.6% (2014) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 4.5% (2011) |
| Education expenditures | 4.4% of GDP (2011) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.5% male: 98.2% female: 98.8% (2015 est.) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 16 years male: 14 years female: 17 years (2010) |
| Child labor - children ages 5-14 | total number: 51,879 percentage: 7% (2006 est.) |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | total: 19.2% male: 15.8% female: 24% (2013 est.) |