Population density in Uruguay
Uruguay: Population density was 19.36 people per sq. km of land area in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
19.36 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
187th
of 215 countries
All-time high
19.42 people per sq. km of land area
in 2020
All-time low
14.64 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Population density in Uruguay, 1961–2023
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Uruguay is 19.36 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Uruguay peaked at 19.42 people per sq. km of land area in 2020 and was at its lowest, 14.64 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
Uruguay ranks 187th of 215 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Population density in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 14.64 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 14.82 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 14.99 people per sq. km of land area | +1.2% |
| 1964 | 15.16 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1965 | 15.32 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 15.47 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 15.61 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 15.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1969 | 15.85 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1970 | 15.95 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 16.04 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1972 | 16.12 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1973 | 16.21 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1974 | 16.31 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1975 | 16.41 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1976 | 16.52 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 1977 | 16.62 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 16.72 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 16.8 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 16.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1981 | 16.93 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1982 | 17 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 17.08 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 1984 | 17.16 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1985 | 17.24 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 17.33 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 17.43 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1988 | 17.53 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 17.63 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 17.74 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1991 | 17.84 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1992 | 17.94 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 18.03 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1994 | 18.13 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 18.22 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1996 | 18.32 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 18.42 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 18.51 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 18.59 people per sq. km of land area | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 18.66 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 18.71 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 18.73 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 18.75 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 18.76 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 18.77 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 18.8 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 18.83 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 18.87 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 18.91 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 18.96 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 19.01 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 19.06 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 19.11 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 19.18 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 19.24 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 19.31 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 19.36 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 19.4 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 19.41 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 19.42 people per sq. km of land area | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 19.41 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
| 2022 | 19.37 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 19.36 people per sq. km of land area | -0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 15.29 people per sq. km of land area | 14.64 people per sq. km of land area | 15.85 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 16.37 people per sq. km of land area | 15.95 people per sq. km of land area | 16.8 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 17.22 people per sq. km of land area | 16.87 people per sq. km of land area | 17.63 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.17 people per sq. km of land area | 17.74 people per sq. km of land area | 18.59 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 18.78 people per sq. km of land area | 18.66 people per sq. km of land area | 18.91 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.2 people per sq. km of land area | 18.96 people per sq. km of land area | 19.41 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.39 people per sq. km of land area | 19.36 people per sq. km of land area | 19.42 people per sq. km of land area | 4 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 184 New Zealand 19.75 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 185 Mali 19.48 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 186 Algeria 19.38 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 188 Finland 18.37 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 189 South Sudan 18.17 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 190 Congo 18.11 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Uruguay
- Population in the largest city 55.2% (2025)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 10.85 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.5283 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 1.79 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.3823 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 10.14 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 1.79 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.23 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 44.92 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Uruguay?
- Population density in Uruguay was 19.36 people per sq. km of land area in 2023, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 19.42 people per sq. km of land area in 2020.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.64 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Uruguay rank for population density?
- Uruguay ranks 187th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population density rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.