Uruguay: cost of living

What is the poverty rate in Uruguay?

14.8% of people in Uruguay lived below the poverty line in the first half of 2026, according to the INE poverty estimate for the first semester of 2026. 11.6% of households were below the line. 1.2% of people and 1.0% of households were below the extreme poverty (indigence) line.

The INE measures poverty by the income method: a household is poor if its income is below a poverty line that reflects the cost of a basket of food and other goods. The INE also publishes a multidimensional poverty index.

Official sources: INE: Estimación de la pobreza por el método del ingreso. Primer semestre 2026

What is the average household income in Uruguay?

The average household income in Uruguay was 96,897 pesos a month in the second quarter of 2026, according to the INE household and personal income report. Average income per person was 34,331 pesos.

The figures come from the continuous household survey (ECH). Household income is the combined income of all members of a household; income per capita divides it by the number of members. The INE publishes the series quarterly, and the same survey is used to estimate poverty.

Official sources: INE: Ingresos de los Hogares y de las Personas Segundo Trimestre 2026

What is the inflation rate in Uruguay?

The latest figure from the IMF, for 2025, is 4.7%. That is the lowest since at least 2005. It is 6th highest of 29 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 2.1%. Worldwide: 38th of 165.

What is household spending per person in Uruguay?

According to the World Bank, household consumption per person in Uruguay was $11,445 in 2015. It is 2nd highest of 21 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is $4,279. World rank, highest first: 34th of 164.

What share of people in Uruguay live in extreme poverty?

The World Bank puts the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in Uruguay at 0.2% in 2024. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 1.5%; its low point was 2016, at 0.1%. Latin America & Caribbean median: 2.1%; Uruguay is 14th highest of 14.

What share of Uruguay lives below the poverty line?

In 2024, the share of people below the national poverty line in Uruguay was 17.3%, according to the World Bank. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 27.8%, and Uruguay placed 11th highest of 12. World rank, highest first: 21st of 31.

How unequal are incomes in Uruguay?

According to the World Bank, the Gini index in Uruguay was 40.0 in 2024. The peak was 46.4 in 2007 and the low 39.5 in 2017. It is 13th highest of 14 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 43.6.

How many people in Uruguay face food insecurity?

The FAO puts moderate or severe food insecurity in Uruguay at 15.5% in 2024. Since 2018 it has ranged from 13.3% (2018) to 16.2% (2023). It is 18th highest of 21 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 28.0%. Worldwide: 77th of 135.