Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay
Uruguay: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 95.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
95.7%
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
23rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
95.7%
in 2025
All-time low
78.0%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uruguay recorded 95.7% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 0.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay peaked at 95.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 78.0%, in 1950.
That places Uruguay 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 78.0% | — |
| 1951 | 78.3% | +0.3% |
| 1952 | 78.5% | +0.3% |
| 1953 | 78.7% | +0.3% |
| 1954 | 78.9% | +0.3% |
| 1955 | 79.1% | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 79.3% | +0.3% |
| 1957 | 79.5% | +0.3% |
| 1958 | 79.8% | +0.3% |
| 1959 | 80.0% | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 80.2% | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 80.4% | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 80.6% | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 80.8% | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 81.0% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 81.1% | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 81.3% | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 81.5% | +0.2% |
| 1968 | 81.6% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | 81.8% | +0.2% |
| 1970 | 82.0% | +0.2% |
| 1971 | 82.2% | +0.2% |
| 1972 | 82.3% | +0.2% |
| 1973 | 82.6% | +0.3% |
| 1974 | 82.8% | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 83.0% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 83.3% | +0.4% |
| 1977 | 83.7% | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 84.1% | +0.5% |
| 1979 | 84.5% | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 85.0% | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 85.5% | +0.6% |
| 1982 | 85.9% | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 86.4% | +0.5% |
| 1984 | 86.8% | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 87.2% | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 87.6% | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 88.0% | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 88.3% | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 88.7% | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 89.1% | +0.4% |
| 1991 | 89.4% | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 89.8% | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 90.1% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 90.4% | +0.3% |
| 1995 | 90.6% | +0.3% |
| 1996 | 90.8% | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 91.0% | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 91.1% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 91.2% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 91.3% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 91.4% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 91.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 91.6% | +0.2% |
| 2004 | 91.8% | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 92.1% | +0.3% |
| 2006 | 92.5% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 93.0% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 93.5% | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 93.9% | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 94.3% | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 94.6% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 94.8% | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 94.9% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 95.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 95.1% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 95.2% | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 95.2% | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 95.3% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 95.3% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 95.4% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 95.4% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 95.5% | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 95.5% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 95.6% | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 95.7% | +0.1% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 95.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 81.3%, 1.2× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 95.7% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 72.0%, 1.3× the median. (42 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 79.0% | 78.0% | 80.0% | 10 |
| 1960s | 81.0% | 80.2% | 81.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 83.0% | 82.0% | 84.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 86.9% | 85.0% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 90.3% | 89.1% | 91.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 92.2% | 91.3% | 93.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.0% | 94.3% | 95.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 95.5% | 95.4% | 95.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 20 Guadeloupe 96.4% compare
- 21 Netherlands 95.9% compare
- 22 Malta 95.7% compare
- 24 United States Virgin Islands 95.4% compare
- 25 Luxembourg 94.9% compare
- 26 Mayotte 94.4% compare
More population data for Uruguay
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate -1.01 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.891 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 3,337 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population -0.0062 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7231 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -1.0% (2100)
- Population density 12.83 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 78,530 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Uruguay was 95.7% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 95.7% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.0% in 1950.
- How does Uruguay rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Uruguay ranks 23rd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.