Uruguay: health and care

What is the life expectancy in Uruguay?

Life expectancy at birth in Uruguay was 78.3 years in 2024, according to World Bank Open Data. The infant mortality rate was 6.2 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2024, according to the World Bank infant mortality series.

Life expectancy at birth is the number of years a newborn would live if the death rates of that year held throughout their life. Uruguay's births and deaths are registered and processed by the Ministry of Public Health's vital statistics department, published on its vital statistics page.

Official sources: World Bank: Life expectancy at birth, Uruguay · World Bank: Infant mortality rate, Uruguay · MSP: Estadísticas Vitales

What is the birth rate in Uruguay?

Uruguay's fertility rate was 1.40 births per woman in 2024, according to World Bank Open Data.

The total fertility rate is the average number of children a woman would have if she lived through her childbearing years at that year's birth rates. Registered births are processed by the Ministry of Public Health, and the INE's 2023 census counted 3,499,451 people, according to its census page.

Official sources: World Bank: Fertility rate, total (births per woman), Uruguay · INE: Censo de Población, Hogares y Viviendas 2023

How much does Uruguay spend on health?

Uruguay's current health spending was 9.02% of GDP in 2023, up from 8.89% in 2022, according to WHO estimates on World Bank Open Data. Households paid 17.1% of it directly out of pocket, the same source shows.

Most Uruguayans are covered by the National Integrated Health System (SNIS), funded largely by the National Health Fund (FONASA) through payroll contributions, and receive care from mutual health institutions or the public provider ASSE. Out-of-pocket spending includes co-payments for consultations and medicines. Current spending excludes investment in buildings and equipment.

Official sources: World Bank Open Data (API) · the same source shows (API)

How many doctors does Uruguay have?

Uruguay had 4.67 physicians per 1,000 people in 2022, according to WHO data on World Bank Open Data, up from 4.55 in 2021. There were 2.44 hospital beds per 1,000 people in 2023, the same site shows.

The doctors figure counts practising physicians, including generalists and specialists. Uruguay's ratio is among the highest in Latin America. The Ministry of Public Health keeps the official register of health professionals.

Official sources: World Bank Open Data (API) · the same site shows (API)

How many women die in childbirth in Uruguay?

Uruguay's maternal mortality ratio was 15 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the UN modelled estimates on World Bank Open Data. It was 20 in 2022 and 49 in 2021, a year affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Uruguay has few births (the birth rate was 9.8 per 1,000 people in 2024), so a handful of deaths changes the ratio considerably from year to year. Births and deaths are registered by the Ministry of Public Health's vital statistics service. Under-five mortality was 7.4 per 1,000 live births in 2024.

Official sources: World Bank Open Data (API) · vital statistics service

How long do people live in Uruguay?

In 2024, life expectancy at birth in Uruguay was 78.3 years, according to the UN Population Division. The peak was 78.4 years in 2020 and the low 75.4 years in 2021. It is 4th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 74.0 years. Worldwide: 51st of 193.

What is Uruguay's infant mortality rate?

The latest figure from the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation, for 2024, is 6.2 per 1,000. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 12.4 per 1,000; its low point was 2020, at 6.1 per 1,000. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 12.1 per 1,000, and Uruguay placed 32nd highest of 33. Of 192 countries with 2024 data, 137th highest.

What is maternal mortality in Uruguay?

15.0 per 100,000: that is the maternal mortality ratio in Uruguay for 2023, according to the WHO. It is the bottom of the series, which starts in 2005. Latin America & Caribbean median: 55.0 per 100,000; Uruguay is 32nd highest of 33. Worldwide: 133rd of 192.

What is Uruguay's health spending?

In 2023, current health spending in Uruguay was 9.0% of GDP, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2019, at 9.2% of GDP; its low point was 2007, at 7.5% of GDP. It is 6th highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 6.8% of GDP. World rank, highest first: 43rd of 191.

How much do people in Uruguay pay for health care themselves?

17.1%: that is out-of-pocket health spending in Uruguay for 2023, according to the WHO. Its high point since 2005 was 2005, at 25.9%; its low point was 2019, at 15.5%. It is 31st highest of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean, where the median is 29.3%. World rank, highest first: 134th of 191.

What is the doctor to patient ratio in Uruguay?

In 2022, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Uruguay was 4.7 per 1,000, according to the WHO. That compares with 4.0 per 1,000 in 2008. Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 2.6 per 1,000, and Uruguay placed 2nd highest of 12. Of 125 countries with 2022 data, 10th highest.

How many hospital beds does Uruguay have?

The WHO puts hospital beds per 1,000 people in Uruguay at 2.4 per 1,000 in 2023. Since 2005 it has ranged from 0.96 per 1,000 (2008) to 2.6 per 1,000 (2010). Across Latin America & Caribbean the middle value was 2.1 per 1,000, and Uruguay placed 9th highest of 22. Worldwide: 40th of 73.

What is the measles vaccination rate in Uruguay?

97.0%: that is measles vaccination among children aged 12 to 23 months in Uruguay for 2024, according to WHO and UNICEF. That is the highest since at least 2005. Latin America & Caribbean median: 89.5%; Uruguay is 4th highest of 32. Worldwide: 31st of 191.