Demographics of Uruguay

This article is about the demographic features of the population of Uruguay, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

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Population

Demographics of Uruguay, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

According to the 2018, revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 3,432,000 in 2015, compared to only 2,239,000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2015 was 21.4%, 64.2% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 14.4% was 65 years or older.^[1]

Structure of the population ^[2]

Structure of the population (04.10.2011) (Census) :

Vital statistics

UN estimates

The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates for Uruguay. ^[3]

Births and deaths^[4][5]

Origins and ethnicity

Uruguay is a multiethnic society, which means that it is home to people of many different ethnic backgrounds. In that case, Uruguyans usually treat their nationality as a citizenship rather than an ethnicity.

Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic and heavily Spanish cultural background with its neighbour Argentina. Most Uruguayans are descended from colonial-era settlers and immigrants from Europe with almost 88% of the population being of European descent,^[6] The majority of these European immigrants were Spaniards, followed closely by Italians, including numbers of French, Germans, Portuguese, British (English or Scots), Irish, Swiss, Russians, Poles, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, Swedes, Danes, Dutch, Belgians, Austrians, Croats, Greeks and other Scandinavians. There are also smaller numbers of Turkish, Armenian, Serbs, Georgian, Azeris, Jews and Lebanese people.

Almost the entire ethnic-European population has at least partial Spanish and/or Italian roots, with many having ancestry from various other ethnic groups, e.g., Portuguese, French and English descent.

Many Swiss settlements (colonias or "colonies"), such as Colonia Suiza, Colonia Valdense and Nueva Helvecia, were founded in the department of Colonia. Also, there are towns founded by early British settlers, such as Conchillas and Barker. A Russian colony called San Javier, is found in the department of Río Negro. There are Mennonite colonies in the department of Río Negro and in the department of Canelones.

Many of the European immigrants arrived in the late 19th century and have heavily influenced the architecture and culture of Montevideo and other major cities. For this reason, Montevideo and life within the city are very reminiscent of Western Europe.

The rest of the Uruguayan population is Black/Afro-Uruguayan of African descent and about 1 or 2% are of Asian descent, mostly are Lebanese/Syrian Arab, and Chinese or Japanese ancestry (see Bárbara Mori).

Amerindians make up a small population in the Rural North-West region, with Mestizos making up 6% of the Population.

Demographic distribution

Metropolitan Montevideo, with about one and a half million inhabitants, is the capital and largest city. The rest of the urban population lives in about 20 towns. Montevideo is about 200 kilometers (120 mi) away from Buenos Aires in neighboring Argentina.

Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate (97.3%) and a large urban middle class.

As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature. In 2006, the country had a birth rate of 13.91 births per thousand population, lower than neighboring countries Argentina (16.73 births/1000 population)[3] and Brazil (16.56 births/1,000 population).

Emigration

During the past four decades, an estimated 500,000 Uruguayans had emigrated, principally to Brazil, Argentina and Europe. (Spain is the main destination for Uruguayans, but they are also drawn to the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Germany.) Other Uruguayans went to various countries in Europe, Australia and the USA.

Neighboring ties and short distances between Uruguayan cities and Argentine capital Buenos Aires, have drawn a path of success for very talented Uruguayans who settled in the neighbor country and became famous and locally accepted. Some famous Uruguayans who excelled in Argentina are entrepreneur and financier Juan Navarro, sports journalist Victor Hugo Morales, singer and actress Natalia Oreiro, soccer players Antonio Alzamendi, Enzo Francescoli and Carlos Goyen, actor Daniel Hendler, actress China Zorrilla, entertainer Carlos Perciavalle and former playboy and journalist Luis César Avilés.

Emigration to the United States also rose recently, but remains a small part of the US population. The majority of Uruguayans in the US live in New York City, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and urban areas of California.

Religion

Uruguay has no official religion, church and state are officially separated, and religious freedom is guaranteed. A 2008 survey by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística of Uruguay gave Catholicism as the main religion, with 45.7% of the population, 9.0% are non-Catholic Christians, 0.6% are Animists or Umbandists (an Afro-Brazilian religion) and 0.4% Jewish. 30.1% reported believing in a god, but not belonging to any religion, while 14% were Atheist or Agnostic.^[8] Among the sizeable Armenian community in Montevideo the dominant religion is Christianity, specifically Armenian Apostolic.^[9]

Political observers consider Uruguay the most secular country in the Americas.^[10] Uruguay's secularization began with the relatively minor role of the church in the colonial era, compared with other parts of the Spanish Empire. The small numbers of Uruguay's Indians and their fierce resistance to proselytism reduced the influence of the ecclesiastical authorities.^[11]

After independence, anticlerical ideas spread to Uruguay, particularly from France, further eroding the influence of the church.^[12] In 1837, civil marriage was recognized and in 1861 the state took over the running of public cemeteries. In 1907, divorce was legalized and in 1909, all religious instruction was banned from state schools.^[11] Under the influence of the radical Colorado reformer José Batlle y Ordóñez (1903–1911) complete separation of church and state was introduced with the new constitution of 1917.^[11]

Demographic data^[13]

Population

3,865,425 (July 2014 est.)

Note: The 2011 Census of the National Statistics Institute of Uruguay began in September 2011 and the preliminary results, stating population of departments, were announced in December 2011. Final results with numbers for localities were still pending as of 26 June 2012.

Median age

• total: 33.64013 years
• male: 32 years
• female: 35.2 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

0.24% (2011 est.)

Net migration rate

-1.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)

Urbanization

• urban population: 92% of total population (2010)
• rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2010–15 est.)

Sex ratio

• at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
• under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
• 15–64 years: 0.5 male(s)/female
• 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
• total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

0.5% (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

9,900 (2009 est.)

HIV/AIDS – deaths

fewer than 500 (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups

Languages

Spanish (Uruguayan Spanish), Uruguayan Sign Language, Portuñol.

There are other ethnic minorities speaking their original languages: Italian, Catalan, German, Plautdietsch, Yiddish, etc.^[14]

Literacy

• definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 98%
• male: 97.6%
• female: 98.4% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

• total: 16 years
• male: 14 years
• female: 17 years (2008)

Education expenditures

4.5% of GDP (2008)

See also

• Emigration from Uruguay
• Immigration to Uruguay
• Uruguayan people

References

Uruguay articles
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Ancestry and ethnicity in Uruguay
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