Uruguay population pyramid 2026
Latin America and the Caribbean · South America
3,382,537 people in 2026 (projected). Uruguay aged early for Latin America, and a sudden fall in births after the mid-2010s has cut its pyramid’s base: ages 0–4 are 29% smaller than ages 10–14.
- 2026 population
- 3.4Mrank 134 of 237
- Median age
- 36.7 yearsoldest rank 94
- Fertility rate
- 1.38births per woman · below replacement
- Structure
- Older16.5% age 65+
Uruguay population pyramid
2026 · Share of total by five-year age group and sex
Hover over or tap a bar to see exact values.
Download this population pyramid
Use the publication-ready SVG, create a high-resolution PNG, or download the complete age-by-sex dataset.
The UN series provides historical estimates through 2023. Figures from 2024 onward—including 2026—are medium-scenario projections, not counts or predictions guaranteed to occur.
Uruguay age distribution in 2026
Children under 15 account for 17.5% of the population, while 16.5% are aged 65 or older. The remaining 66.0% are in the conventional working-age range of 15–64. On these shares, the site classifies Uruguay’s age structure as older; the guide to constrictive population pyramids explains what that shape implies.
The total age dependency ratio is 51.6: about 52 people under 15 or 65+ for every 100 people aged 15–64 (26.5 children and 25.1 older people). This is an age-balance indicator, not a literal count of economic dependants per worker.
What shapes Uruguay’s population pyramid
An early transition
Uruguay began its demographic transition long before most of Latin America. In 1950 its total fertility rate was already about 2.7 children per woman and life expectancy was close to 66, so the pyramid had a narrow, almost straight-sided base and a relatively heavy top: about 8% of people were 65 or over, compared with 3–5% in Peru, Ecuador or Haiti at the time. Fertility then stayed in the 2.2–2.8 range for half a century, and the pyramid changed slowly.
A sudden drop at the base
The most distinctive feature of the 2026 pyramid is the steep step at the bottom. The total fertility rate fell from about 2.0 in 2010 to 1.4 by 2023, much of the decline concentrated after the mid-2010s and widely linked to a sharp fall in adolescent pregnancies. As a result the 10–14 band, born 2012–16, stands out as about 10% larger than its neighbours, and the 0–4 band is roughly 29% smaller than it. The population peaked at about 3.4 million in 2020, and deaths first exceeded births in 2021.
Emigration has deepened the decline. The UN estimates net emigration of about 330,000 people between 1950 and 1999 and a further 190,000 between 2000 and 2023, large figures for a country of 3.4 million. Departures rose in the 1970s and again after the 2002 economic crisis, with Argentina, Spain and the United States among the main destinations.
Women at the top
The gap in life expectancy between the sexes is wide, about seven and a half years in 2026. The overall sex ratio is about 94 men per 100 women, and above 80 the imbalance is pronounced: about 56 men per 100 women at 80–84 and 28 at 90–94.
The age structure is now closest to those of Iceland, Costa Rica and Chile. Under the UN medium scenario the population falls to about 3.25 million by 2050 and 2.2 million by 2100, when nearly 38% of residents are projected to be 65 or over. The fertility rate by country ranking shows where Uruguay’s rate of about 1.4 now sits globally.
What to notice across the years
Distinctive cohorts and turning points
Comparing each five-year band with its neighbours picks out the cohorts that break a smooth slope. These irregularities usually record past surges or deficits in births, or migration concentrated at particular ages; the pattern alone does not identify which. The guide to baby booms and echo cohorts explains how to date and interpret them.
| Age band in 2026 | Born about | Feature | Versus neighbouring bands |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10–14 | 2012–2016 | Bulge (larger cohort) | +10% |
Deaths have exceeded births every year since 2024; they also did so in 2021, but births then outnumbered deaths again. People aged 65 and older are projected to outnumber children under 15 by 2030.
Births, deaths, and migration
A pyramid changes in only three ways: births add to the base, deaths remove people at every age, and migration adds or removes people mainly in young adulthood. In 2026, Uruguay is projected to record 32,873 births (about 90 births a day) and 33,731 deaths, a natural decrease of 858. Net migration adds −1,413 people, ranking #126 in the net migration rate ranking.
Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates 1,084,334 births, 770,541 deaths, and cumulative net migration of −187,534. Over that period the balance of births and deaths moved the total more than migration did. See how migration shapes a pyramid and birth rate versus fertility rate. The medium scenario assumes net migration of −30,547 between 2026 and 2050.
Annual values 1950–2100; dashed lines after 2023 are the UN medium projection. The trend table below lists the values by decade.
Life expectancy and mortality
- Life expectancy, women
- 82.3 years68.8 in 1950
- Life expectancy, men
- 74.8 years62.8 in 1950
- Further years at 65
- 19.2 yearsboth sexes
- Infant mortality
- 5.6per 1,000 births · 61 in 1950
- Under-five mortality
- 6.7per 1,000 births
- Mother’s mean age at birth
- 29.5 yearssex ratio at birth 105.4
Women in Uruguay are projected to live 7.5 years longer than men, which is why the female side of the pyramid widens relative to the other at older ages (see the life expectancy gap ranking). Infant mortality has fallen from 61 to 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births since 1950, ranking #160 of 237 in the infant mortality ranking (highest first). A mean age at childbearing of 29.5 years sets the spacing between generations, and so how far apart echo cohorts sit in the pyramid.
Median age, fertility rate, and global ranks for Uruguay
The median age of 36.7 years splits the population into two equal halves. A total fertility rate of 1.38 births per woman is below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, and life expectancy at birth is 78.6 years.
These ranks compare all 237 countries and areas in this dataset using the same 2026 UN medium projection. Ranks use the stored source precision, so displayed rounding can make adjacent values look identical; small differences should not be overinterpreted.
| Indicator | 2026 value | Global rank | Ranking direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 3,382,537 | #134 | Largest first |
| Median age | 36.7 years | #94 | Oldest first |
| Fertility rate | 1.38 | #196 | Highest first |
| Annual growth | -0.1% | #176 | Fastest first |
| Life expectancy | 78.6 years | #74 | Highest first |
| Population aged 65+ | 16.5% | #72 | Highest share first |
Largest age groups in Uruguay
The five largest cohorts identify where the 2026 population is concentrated. They can reflect past birth patterns, survival, and migration; the chart alone does not establish which cause dominates.
| Rank | Age group | Population | Share of total | Male / female |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30–34 | 249,553 | 7.4% | 126.6K / 123K |
| 2 | 25–29 | 247,578 | 7.3% | 125.9K / 121.7K |
| 3 | 20–24 | 237,894 | 7.0% | 121.4K / 116.5K |
| 4 | 35–39 | 236,889 | 7.0% | 120.2K / 116.7K |
| 5 | 10–14 | 233,629 | 6.9% | 119.7K / 113.9K |
Sex ratio and the balance by age
In the 2026 projection, Uruguay has 1,641,357 males and 1,741,180 females. That is 94.3 males per 100 females, ranking #187 when the dataset is ordered from the highest male-to-female ratio to the lowest.
Males account for 48.5% of the population and females for 51.5%. There are 99,823 more females than males overall. Among people aged 65 and older, the ratio is 65.1 males per 100 females.
The overall balance can conceal large differences by age; how sex ratios change with age explains the usual pattern. The ratio reflects the male/female categories in the UN source and is not a measure of gender identity. Compare all profiles in the sex-ratio ranking.
At birth, 105.4 boys are projected to be born for every 100 girls in 2026, close to the biological norm of about 105 (compare the sex ratio at birth ranking). The ratio at birth sets the balance at the base of the pyramid; how it changes with age then depends on survival and migration.
How Uruguay has changed since 1950
The population has increased from 2,234,412 in 1950 to 3,382,537 in 2026, a change of 51%. Over the same span, median age moved from 26.8 to 36.7 years.
The under-15 share changed from 27.7% to 17.5%, while the share aged 65 and older changed from 8.2% to 16.5%. These shifts show why total population growth and age-structure change need to be read separately.
How the population could change by 2050
Under the UN medium scenario, Uruguay’s population is projected to decline by about 4%, reaching 3,254,354 in 2050. The median age changes from 36.7 to 45.2 years.
The 65+ share is projected to rise by 7.0 percentage points to 23.5%. At the same time, the under-15 share is projected at 13.6%. How UN projections work explains the assumptions behind these figures.
The annual UN series reaches its highest estimated population of 3,398,968 in 2020. Historical population totals are estimates rather than exact head counts. Compare timing across countries in the population peak ranking.
Population trend: 1950–2100
Mid-year population for every year. Estimates through 2023; dashed line shows the UN medium projection.
| Year | Population | Median age | Fertility | Life exp. | Births | Deaths | Net migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2,234,412 | 26.8 | 2.69 | 65.6 | 46,859 | 24,041 | −2,259 | +0.9% |
| 1960 | 2,529,958 | 28.0 | 2.83 | 67.7 | 55,145 | 24,707 | +2,057 | +1.3% |
| 1970 | 2,790,807 | 28.9 | 2.77 | 68.7 | 55,983 | 27,247 | −12,727 | +0.6% |
| 1980 | 2,951,953 | 29.1 | 2.59 | 70.5 | 54,629 | 29,177 | −14,252 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 3,104,403 | 29.9 | 2.48 | 73.0 | 55,664 | 29,966 | −7,499 | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 3,266,206 | 31.0 | 2.20 | 74.7 | 52,104 | 31,042 | −11,076 | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 3,318,580 | 33.0 | 2.01 | 76.7 | 47,277 | 31,046 | −7,696 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 3,398,968 | 35.0 | 1.50 | 78.4 | 35,383 | 31,337 | −1,482 | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 3,388,080 | 35.8 | 1.41 | 78.1 | 33,443 | 33,145 | −1,501 | -0.0% |
| 2024* | 3,386,588 | 36.1 | 1.40 | 78.3 | 33,196 | 33,637 | −1,348 | -0.1% |
| 2026* | 3,382,537 | 36.7 | 1.38 | 78.6 | 32,873 | 33,731 | −1,413 | -0.1% |
| 2030* | 3,372,887 | 38.1 | 1.38 | 79.3 | 32,680 | 33,926 | −1,296 | -0.1% |
| 2040* | 3,336,459 | 41.7 | 1.41 | 80.9 | 30,886 | 35,056 | −1,222 | -0.2% |
| 2050* | 3,254,354 | 45.2 | 1.44 | 82.3 | 26,940 | 37,116 | −1,047 | -0.3% |
| 2060* | 3,109,396 | 48.5 | 1.46 | 83.7 | 22,682 | 38,802 | −1,030 | -0.6% |
| 2070* | 2,927,558 | 51.7 | 1.47 | 85.0 | 21,497 | 39,963 | −923 | -0.7% |
| 2080* | 2,720,454 | 52.8 | 1.49 | 86.2 | 19,296 | 40,756 | −824 | -0.8% |
| 2090* | 2,484,974 | 53.5 | 1.50 | 87.3 | 16,835 | 40,536 | −699 | -1.0% |
| 2100* | 2,245,886 | 54.1 | 1.52 | 88.5 | 15,498 | 37,750 | −647 | -1.0% |
* 2024 onward is the UN medium projection. Fertility is births per woman; life expectancy is years at birth; births, deaths, and net migration are counts for that calendar year.
Download every year, 1950–2100 (CSV)
2026 population by age and sex
The table provides the counts behind the chart. Age groups are five-year bands, with everyone aged 100 or older combined.
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 84,910 | 80,587 | 165,497 | 4.9% |
| 5–9 | 99,153 | 93,847 | 193,000 | 5.7% |
| 10–14 | 119,681 | 113,948 | 233,629 | 6.9% |
| 15–19 | 118,344 | 113,202 | 231,546 | 6.8% |
| 20–24 | 121,389 | 116,505 | 237,894 | 7.0% |
| 25–29 | 125,916 | 121,662 | 247,578 | 7.3% |
| 30–34 | 126,588 | 122,965 | 249,553 | 7.4% |
| 35–39 | 120,235 | 116,654 | 236,889 | 7.0% |
| 40–44 | 107,991 | 106,884 | 214,875 | 6.4% |
| 45–49 | 108,046 | 110,984 | 219,030 | 6.5% |
| 50–54 | 106,073 | 108,988 | 215,061 | 6.4% |
| 55–59 | 94,028 | 98,385 | 192,413 | 5.7% |
| 60–64 | 88,522 | 97,782 | 186,304 | 5.5% |
| 65–69 | 74,038 | 87,987 | 162,025 | 4.8% |
| 70–74 | 57,227 | 75,391 | 132,618 | 3.9% |
| 75–79 | 40,366 | 60,941 | 101,307 | 3.0% |
| 80–84 | 26,571 | 47,860 | 74,431 | 2.2% |
| 85–89 | 14,845 | 34,287 | 49,132 | 1.5% |
| 90–94 | 5,832 | 20,498 | 26,330 | 0.8% |
| 95–99 | 1,387 | 8,858 | 10,245 | 0.3% |
| 100+ | 215 | 2,966 | 3,181 | 0.1% |
Countries with the most similar age structure
These profiles have the 2026 age distributions closest to Uruguay’s, measured by the total difference in the share of the population in each five-year band. Similar shapes can arise from very different histories, so the match is a starting point for comparison, not an explanation.
- Iceland96% overlap · median age 36.6
- Costa Rica96% overlap · median age 35.7
- Chile96% overlap · median age 37.4
- New Zealand96% overlap · median age 38.0
- Gibraltar96% overlap · median age 38.8
- Australia96% overlap · median age 38.5
To calculate school-age, working-age, or older groups with other boundaries, use the age-group calculator for Uruguay.
Use this chart in your work
Charts and tables may be reused with attribution. Please link to this page and credit the United Nations as the data source.
Embed the population pyramid
Cite this page
APA
World Population Pyramid. (2026, October 19). Uruguay Population Pyramid 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/uruguay/
MLA
“Uruguay Population Pyramid 2026.” World Population Pyramid, 19 Oct. 2026, worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/uruguay/.
Chicago
World Population Pyramid. “Uruguay Population Pyramid 2026.” Last modified October 19, 2026. https://worldpopulationpyramid.com/countries/uruguay/.
Underlying data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Uruguay in 2026?
Under the UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium scenario, Uruguay's population in 2026 is projected at 3,382,537.
What is the median age in Uruguay?
The projected median age in Uruguay in 2026 is 36.7 years: half the population is younger and half is older.
What is the fertility rate in Uruguay?
The projected total fertility rate in 2026 is 1.38 births per woman, below the replacement level of about 2.1 in low-mortality populations.
Is Uruguay's population projected to grow?
Between 2026 and 2050, the UN medium scenario indicates the population will decline by about 4%, from 3.4M to 3.3M.
What share of Uruguay is aged 65 or older?
In 2026, 16.5% of the projected population is aged 65 or older. By 2050, the medium scenario places the share at 23.5%.
How many babies are born in Uruguay each year?
The UN medium scenario projects 32,873 births and 33,731 deaths in 2026, about 90 births a day. Deaths exceed births by 858.
What is life expectancy in Uruguay for men and women?
Life expectancy at birth in 2026 is projected at 82.3 years for women and 74.8 years for men, a gap of 7.5 years in favour of women.
Does Uruguay have more immigrants or emigrants?
Uruguay is projected to lose about 1,413 more people through emigration than it gains in 2026. Between 2000 and 2023 the UN estimates cumulative net migration of −187,534.
What is the sex ratio in Uruguay?
The projected 2026 population sex ratio is 94.3 males per 100 females. This all-age ratio is different from the sex ratio at birth and can vary substantially by age.
Sources and notes
- United Nations, DESA, Population Division: World Population Prospects 2024, medium scenario.
- Population values are mid-year figures. Source values published in thousands are converted to people; displayed figures may imply more precision than is appropriate for planning.
- Historical values through 2023 are estimates. Values from 2024 onward are projections.
- Calculations follow the site methodology.