Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay

Uruguay: Public sector employment as a share of total employment was 16.99 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
16.99
Change on year
up 9.2%
World rank
46th
of 79 countries
All-time high
18.02
in 2003
All-time low
14.31
in 2010
Years of data
20
2000–2020

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay, 2000–2020

051015202000201020202000: 17.22001: 16.62002: 17.92003: 182004: 17.72005: 16.62006: 15.72007: 14.92008: 14.92009: 14.32010: 14.32011: 14.42012: 14.82014: 14.92015: 14.72016: 152017: 14.82018: 15.12019: 15.62020: 17

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2020, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay stood at 16.99.

That represents a change of up 9.2% on the previous year and up 18.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay peaked at 18.02 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 14.31, in 2010.

Uruguay ranks 46th of 79 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 20 years of available data.

Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay, year by year

Annual values for Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay, 2000 to 2020.
Year Value Change
2000 17.16 —
2001 16.61 -3.2%
2002 17.91 +7.8%
2003 18.02 +0.6%
2004 17.7 -1.8%
2005 16.64 -5.9%
2006 15.67 -5.9%
2007 14.89 -5.0%
2008 14.86 -0.2%
2009 14.33 -3.6%
2010 14.31 -0.1%
2011 14.44 +0.9%
2012 14.81 +2.6%
2014 14.88 +0.5%
2015 14.66 -1.5%
2016 15.01 +2.4%
2017 14.8 -1.4%
2018 15.13 +2.2%
2019 15.55 +2.8%
2020 16.99 +9.2%

Uruguay compared with similar countries

  • Uruguay's 16.99 is below the median for high income countries, which is 23.54, 72% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
  • Uruguay's 16.99 is above the median for Latin America & Caribbean, which is 12.51, 1.4× the median. (17 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 16.38 14.33 18.02 10
2010s 14.84 14.31 15.55 9
2020s 16.99 16.99 16.99 1

Countries ranked near Uruguay

  1. 43 Panama 17.98 compare
  2. 44 Bulgaria 17.75 compare
  3. 45 Serbia 17.67 compare
  4. 47 Venezuela 16.77 compare
  5. 48 Dominican Republic 16.54 compare
  6. 49 Turkey 16.03 compare

See the full ranking of 79 places →

More work & labour data for Uruguay

All data for Uruguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay?
Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay was 16.99 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Uruguay?
The highest recorded value was 18.02 in 2003.
What is the lowest public sector employment as a share of total employment recorded in Uruguay?
The lowest recorded value was 14.31 in 2010.
How does Uruguay rank for public sector employment as a share of total employment?
Uruguay ranks 46th out of 79 countries with data for 2020.
Is public sector employment as a share of total employment rising or falling in Uruguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uruguay data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Public sector employment as a share of total employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Public sector employment as a share of total employment in Uruguay. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 11 November 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/public-sector-employment-as-a-share-of-total-employment/uruguay/

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About this data

Indicator
Public sector employment as a share of total employment
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
79 places, 1,004 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed