Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay
Uruguay: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 36.6% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay is 36.6%, measured in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of down 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay peaked at 47.1% in 1975 and was at its lowest, 36.6%, in 2020.
That places Uruguay 21st out of 180 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 46.5% | — |
| 1955 | 46.3% | -0.5% |
| 1960 | 45.7% | -1.4% |
| 1965 | 45.4% | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 46.0% | +1.3% |
| 1975 | 47.1% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 46.2% | -1.8% |
| 1985 | 45.5% | -1.5% |
| 1990 | 44.1% | -3.3% |
| 1995 | 42.6% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 40.6% | -4.7% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | -3.2% |
| 2010 | 38.7% | -1.6% |
| 2015 | 38.0% | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 36.6% | -3.7% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 36.6% is above the median for high income countries, which is 15.3%, 2.4× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 36.6% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 25.6%, 1.4× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.4% | 46.3% | 46.5% | 2 |
| 1960s | 45.5% | 45.4% | 45.7% | 2 |
| 1970s | 46.6% | 46.0% | 47.1% | 2 |
| 1980s | 45.9% | 45.5% | 46.2% | 2 |
| 1990s | 43.4% | 42.6% | 44.1% | 2 |
| 2000s | 40.0% | 39.3% | 40.6% | 2 |
| 2010s | 38.4% | 38.0% | 38.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 36.6% | 36.6% | 36.6% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
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 share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Uruguay was 36.6% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 47.1% in 1975.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 36.6% in 2020.
- How does Uruguay rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Uruguay ranks 21st out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.