Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay
Uruguay: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 42.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay stood at 42.5%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay peaked at 58.1% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 42.5%, in 2020.
That places Uruguay 39th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 58.1% | — |
| 1955 | 57.1% | -1.6% |
| 1960 | 55.6% | -2.7% |
| 1965 | 54.7% | -1.6% |
| 1970 | 55.0% | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 56.1% | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 55.1% | -1.9% |
| 1985 | 54.2% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 52.5% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 50.6% | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 48.0% | -5.1% |
| 2005 | 46.2% | -3.9% |
| 2010 | 45.2% | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 44.1% | -2.4% |
| 2020 | 42.5% | -3.7% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 42.5% is above the median for high income countries, which is 29.2%, 1.5× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 42.5% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 30.3%, 1.4× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 57.6% | 57.1% | 58.1% | 2 |
| 1960s | 55.1% | 54.7% | 55.6% | 2 |
| 1970s | 55.5% | 55.0% | 56.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 54.6% | 54.2% | 55.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 51.5% | 50.6% | 52.5% | 2 |
| 2000s | 47.1% | 46.2% | 48.0% | 2 |
| 2010s | 44.6% | 44.1% | 45.2% | 2 |
| 2020s | 42.5% | 42.5% | 42.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More population data for Uruguay
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -4.49 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development -1.0% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 78,530 people (2100)
- Population density 12.83 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7231 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.0062 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uruguay was 42.5% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 58.1% in 1950.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.5% in 2020.
- How does Uruguay rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Uruguay ranks 39th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.