Latin America & Caribbean

Uruguay: official statistics and sources

20 official bodies for Uruguay, from National Institute of Statistics to Open Data Catalogue, with key figures from the World Bank and IMF. Official language: Spanish. Capital: Montevideo.

Who holds power in Uruguay

• Head of state: Yamandú Orsi (Presidente de la República Oriental del Uruguay)
• Head of government: The head of state leads the government (no prime minister listed)
• Foreign minister: Mario Lubetkin (Ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de la República Oriental del Uruguay)

Source: UN Protocol and Liaison Service list, dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.

Unitary republic. How local power works in Uruguay: 2 tiers of government below the nation, who is elected and who they answer to.

Part of level 6 of the 10 levels of power.

Government, regions and cities

• Government and power in Uruguay: leaders, governance scores, women in parliament, spending and the bodies that hold power to account
• All 19 departments: Montevideo, Canelones, Maldonado, Salto, Colonia…
• Montevideo (capital)

Key figures

What the figures show

The World Bank puts Uruguay's population at 3.4 million in 2025. Of the 33 UN members in the World Bank's Latin America and Caribbean region, 19 have more people; worldwide it comes 131st.

GDP for 2025 was $85.3 billion at current dollar prices, according to the World Bank. That works out at $25,216 a head; the regional median is $10,989.

Real GDP grew by 1.8% in 2025, World Bank figures show. For 2026 the IMF expects 1.3%.

Across 2025 the annual rate was 4.7%. The IMF forecasts 4.0% for 2026.

The ILO's modelled unemployment rate for 2025 is 7.5%; the national statistics office may publish a different figure from its own survey.

The IMF records general government gross debt of 65.6% of GDP for 2025, compared with a median of 65.6% across the World Bank's Latin America and Caribbean region; its 2026 projection is 67.7%.

Life expectancy at birth: 78.3 years (2024).

• Annual inflation since 2015: highest 9.8% (2020), lowest 4.7% (2025).
• Debt ratio 2015: 57.8%; 2025: 65.6%.
• GDP per person in dollars, 2015 to 2025: +47%.

Figures checked 2026-10-13; how they are compiled.

Official sources in Uruguay

Statistics office prices, jobs, people, output

• National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística)
  Consumer price index, census, labour market, household income and population statistics for Uruguay. Not in English.

Central bank interest rates and money

• Central Bank of Uruguay (Banco Central del Uruguay)
  Monetary policy, exchange rates, financial system supervision and economic statistics.

Parliament debates, votes, bills

• General Assembly (Chamber of Representatives and Chamber of Senators) (Parlamento del Uruguay)
  Bills, laws, session records and member information for both chambers. Not in English.

Government

• Official site of the Republic (GUB.UY)
  Central portal for government bodies, procedures and official news. Not in English.
• Presidency of the Republic (Presidencia de la República)
  Presidential decrees, resolutions and government announcements. Not in English.

Laws and the official gazette the text of laws

• IMPO – Official Information Centre (IMPO – Centro de Información Oficial)
  The Diario Oficial and a database of laws and decrees in force. Not in English.

Courts judgments

• Judiciary (Supreme Court of Justice) (Poder Judicial – Suprema Corte de Justicia)
  Court rulings, the national case-law database and judicial statistics. Not in English.
• National Case-law Database (Base de Jurisprudencia Nacional (BJN))
  Searchable judgments of the Supreme Court and appeal courts. Not in English.

Public audit how public money was spent

• Court of Accounts (Tribunal de Cuentas)
  Audit opinions on public accounts and resolutions on public spending. Not in English.

Elections results and rules

• Electoral Court (Corte Electoral)
  Electoral register, official election results and electoral regulations. Not in English.

Regulators

• Communications Services Regulatory Unit (Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Comunicaciones)
  Telecommunications and postal regulation, licensing and market statistics. Not in English.
• Energy and Water Services Regulatory Unit (Unidad Reguladora de Servicios de Energía y Agua)
  Regulation of electricity, gas, fuels and water services. Not in English.
• Personal Data Regulatory and Control Unit (Unidad Reguladora y de Control de Datos Personales)
  Data protection resolutions, database registration and guidance. Not in English.

Ombudsman

• National Human Rights Institution and Ombudsman's Office (Institución Nacional de Derechos Humanos y Defensoría del Pueblo)
  Human rights reports, recommendations and complaint handling. Not in English.

Access to information requests to public bodies

• Access to Public Information Unit (Unidad de Acceso a la Información Pública (UAIP))
  Oversees the access-to-information law and publishes resolutions and compliance reports. Not in English.

Public registers companies, land, charities

• Directorate General of Registries (Dirección General de Registros)
  Runs the commercial, property and legal persons registers, with online certificate requests. Not in English.
• National Cadastre Directorate (Dirección Nacional de Catastro)
  Keeps the national cadastre of land parcels and their valuations. Not in English.
• Board of Transparency and Public Ethics (Junta de Transparencia y Ética Pública (JUTEP))
  Receives the sworn asset declarations of officials and publishes those of senior office holders. Not in English.

Public contracts government tenders and awards

• State Procurement Regulatory Agency (Agencia Reguladora de Compras Estatales (ARCE))
  Regulates public procurement and publishes tenders and awards. Data. Not in English.

Open data

• Open Data Catalogue (Catálogo de Datos Abiertos)
  Open datasets from Uruguayan public bodies. Not in English.

Freedom of information in Uruguay

Information classified as reserved on receipt of a request must be reported to the UAIP within 5 working days.

Also: World Bank country data · IMF country page · UN Sustainable Development Goals country profile · IPU Parline parliament profile.

Uruguay by subject

• Economy GDP, growth, trade and investment
• Jobs and pay unemployment, jobs and work
• Cost of living inflation, poverty and inequality
• Public finances debt, deficit, tax and spending
• Health and care life expectancy, doctors and spending
• Housing homes, cities, water and power
• Crime and justice murder rate, courts and crime
• Immigration migrants, refugees and remittances
• Education schools, universities and literacy
• Environment emissions, air, forests and water

Common questions

What is the population of Uruguay?

3.4 million (2025, World Bank). National figures: National Institute of Statistics.

What is the inflation rate in Uruguay?

4.7% (2025, World Bank). Official index: National Institute of Statistics.

What is Uruguay's GDP?

$85.3 billion (2025, World Bank).

How much government debt does Uruguay have?

65.6% of GDP (2025, International Monetary Fund).

Who publishes official statistics in Uruguay?

National Institute of Statistics (Instituto Nacional de Estadística): https://www.gub.uy/instituto-nacional-estadistica/

Is there a freedom of information law in Uruguay?

Ley N° 18.381 de Acceso a la Información Pública (2008). Time limit: 20 working days, extendable by 20 working days. Appeals: Courts, through the acción de acceso a la información pública (art. 22)..

What is the central bank of Uruguay?

Central Bank of Uruguay (Banco Central del Uruguay): https://www.bcu.gub.uy/

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