Employment rate in Uruguay
Uruguay: Employment rate was 60.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rate in Uruguay, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uruguay recorded 60.1% for employment rate in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.7% on the previous year and up 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Uruguay peaked at 61.9% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 49.3%, in 2003.
That places Uruguay 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 53.2% | 51.9% | 55.3% | 9 |
| 2000s | 54.0% | 49.3% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 60.0% | 57.9% | 61.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 58.2% | 54.7% | 60.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uruguay
More work & labour data for Uruguay
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 65.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 73.4% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 78.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 57.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 77.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 83.1% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 72.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Uruguay?
- Employment rate in Uruguay was 60.1% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in Uruguay?
- The highest recorded value was 61.9% in 2011.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Uruguay?
- The lowest recorded value was 49.3% in 2003.
- How does Uruguay rank for employment rate?
- Uruguay ranks 71st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Uruguay?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uruguay data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.