Democracy in Uruguay
Uruguay: Democracy was 4 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
4
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
17th
of 175 countries
All-time high
5
in 1923
All-time low
0
in 1933
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Democracy in Uruguay, 1900–2025
Source: Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, democracy in Uruguay stood at 4.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, democracy in Uruguay peaked at 5 in 1923 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1933.
That places Uruguay 17th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 126 years of available data.
Democracy in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1 | — |
| 1901 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1912 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1924 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1928 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1934 | 2 | — |
| 1935 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1940 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1949 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1961 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1964 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1973 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 1 | — |
| 1976 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 1 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 2 | +100.0% |
| 1981 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 2 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 5 | +150.0% |
| 1986 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 1997 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 4 | +0.0% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 4 is above the median for high income countries, which is 4, 1.0× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 4 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 4, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.9 | 1 | 2 | 10 |
| 1920s | 3.8 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 1930s | 2.7 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| 1940s | 4.8 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 1950s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.3 | 3 | 4 | 10 |
| 1970s | 1.1 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.5 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.6 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2010s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 2020s | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
- 17 Australia 4 compare
- 17 Austria 4 compare
- 17 Barbados 4 compare
- 17 Belgium 4 compare
- 17 Bhutan 4 compare
- 17 Bosnia and Herzegovina 4 compare
- 17 Bulgaria 4 compare
- 17 Canada 4 compare
- 17 Cape Verde 4 compare
- 17 Chile 4 compare
- 17 Colombia 4 compare
- 17 Costa Rica 4 compare
- 17 Cyprus 4 compare
- 17 Czechia 4 compare
- 17 Denmark 4 compare
- 17 Ecuador 4 compare
- 17 Estonia 4 compare
- 17 Finland 4 compare
- 17 France 4 compare
- 17 Germany 4 compare
- 17 Ghana 4 compare
- 17 Iceland 4 compare
- 17 Ireland 4 compare
- 17 Israel 4 compare
- 17 Jamaica 4 compare
- 17 Japan 4 compare
- 17 Kenya 4 compare
- 17 Latvia 4 compare
- 17 Liberia 4 compare
- 17 Lithuania 4 compare
- 17 Luxembourg 4 compare
- 17 Malawi 4 compare
- 17 Malta 4 compare
- 17 Namibia 4 compare
- 17 Netherlands 4 compare
- 17 New Zealand 4 compare
- 17 North Macedonia 4 compare
- 17 Norway 4 compare
- 17 Panama 4 compare
- 17 Paraguay 4 compare
- 17 Portugal 4 compare
- 17 Sao Tome and Principe 4 compare
- 17 South Africa 4 compare
- 17 South Korea 4 compare
- 17 Spain 4 compare
- 17 Suriname 4 compare
- 17 Sweden 4 compare
- 17 Switzerland 4 compare
- 17 Taiwan 4 compare
- 17 Trinidad and Tobago 4 compare
- 17 Vanuatu 4 compare
More reference data data for Uruguay
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.2999 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.3685 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 6.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.2195 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.48 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 33.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 2.01 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is democracy in Uruguay?
- Democracy in Uruguay was 4 in 2025, according to Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest democracy recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 5 in 1923.
- What is the lowest democracy recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1933.
- How does Uruguay rank for democracy?
- Uruguay ranks 17th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is democracy rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from Episodes of Regime Transformation (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Democracy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Political regime of a country using the classification by the Episodes of Regime Transformation-project. It distinguishes between hardening autocracies (score 0), stable autocracies (score 1), liberalizing autocracies (score 2), eroding democracies (score 3), stable democracies (score 4), and deepening democracies (score 5).