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.
Employment rate in Uruguay, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 52.4% | — |
| 1992 | 52.4% | +0.1% |
| 1993 | 51.9% | -1.1% |
| 1994 | 52.9% | +1.9% |
| 1995 | 53.3% | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 53.1% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 53.7% | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 55.3% | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 53.5% | -3.2% |
| 2000 | 52.6% | -1.8% |
| 2001 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 2002 | 50.0% | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 49.3% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 51.8% | +5.1% |
| 2005 | 52.4% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 55.3% | +5.5% |
| 2007 | 57.8% | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 58.9% | +1.8% |
| 2009 | 59.7% | +1.5% |
| 2010 | 59.7% | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 61.9% | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 61.0% | -1.4% |
| 2013 | 60.7% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 61.6% | +1.5% |
| 2015 | 60.1% | -2.4% |
| 2016 | 59.5% | -0.9% |
| 2017 | 59.1% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 58.4% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 57.9% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 54.7% | -5.4% |
| 2021 | 57.0% | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 58.2% | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 59.2% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 59.7% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 60.1% | +0.7% |
Uruguay compared with similar countries
- Uruguay's 60.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.9%, 1.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Uruguay's 60.1% is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 58.1%, 1.0× the median. (31 countries reporting)
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
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual -1.02 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth -1 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth -1.03 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate -1.72 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 0.0269 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 3,567 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 95.27 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 1,144 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 1,102 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 2,246 1000 No (2100)
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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.