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.
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
- 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)
- Total fertility rate vs. wanted fertility rate 1.4 births per woman (2024)
- Refugees by country of asylum 1,322 people (2024)
- Fertility rate vs. unmet need for contraception 1.4 births per woman (2024)
- Total fertility rate vs. contraceptive prevalence 1.4 births per woman (2024)
- Natural population growth rate 0.0% (2023)
- Fertility rate: births per woman 1.41 live births per woman (2023)
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.