Skyline at night in Uruguay

Uruguay Economy

Uruguay's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 71.1 billion in 2022.

Nominal GDP of USD 77.2 billion in 2023.

GDP per capita of USD 20,004 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 21,636 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 1.5% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 1.8% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 74% of overall GDP, manufacturing 11%, other industrial activity 8%, and agriculture 7%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 67% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 14%, fixed investment 18%, and net exports 1%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 17% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 1%, food 67%, ores and metals 0% and agricultural raw materials 14%, with other categories accounting for 1% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 70% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 11%, food 16%, ores and metals 1% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 1% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 17 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 14 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 1.8% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Uruguay, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Uruguay's fiscal deficit averaged 3.2% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 8.0% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Uruguay's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 8.4% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Uruguay inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Uruguay's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 11.25%, up from 9.00% a decade earlier. See our Uruguay monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the peso weakened by 51.6% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the peso, click here.
GDP growth accelerated to a two-year high of 3.8% year on year in Q2 from 0.6% in Q2. The result was chiefly driven by a double-digit increase in exports due to a stronger-than-expected recovery in harvests after last year’s floods. Turning to Q3, economic growth is expected to have matched Q2’s pace, and available data seems to confirm this view. On one hand, growth of manufacturing output and economic activity improved from Q2’s average in July; on the other hand, higher inflation in Q3 compared to Q2 likely dented private consumption. In politics, presidential elections will be held on 27 October: Yamandú Orsi of the left-wing coalition Frente Amplio (FA) is leading the polls. His pick for finance chief has pledged a primary fiscal surplus by end-2029, contrasting the high deficits seen in the FA’s last stint in government.
Projections out to 2034.

50 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 21 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Uruguay in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 50 economic indicators for Uruguay from a panel of 21 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Uruguay economy. To download a sample report on the Uruguay's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Uruguay Datos económicos

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Población (millones) 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.6
PIB (en millones de dólares) 64.5 61.2 53.6 59.3 -
PIB per cápita (USD) 18,408 17,406 15,170 16,735 -
PIB (en miles de millones de UYU) 1,982 2,159 2,250 2,584 -
Crecimiento económico (PIB nominal, var. anual) 7.6 8.9 4.2 14.8 -
Crecimiento económico (PIB, var. anual) 0.5 0.4 -6.1 4.4 -
Demanda interna (% var. anual) 1.0 -0.3 -4.6 5.4 -
Consumo privado (% var. anual) 2.1 0.5 -6.9 2.3 -
Consumo público (var. anual) 2.6 1.1 -7.3 8.0 -
Inversión fija (% var. anual) -9.0 0.8 1.6 15.2 -
Exportaciones (G&S, % var. anual) -1.7 3.6 -16.0 14.4 -
Importaciones (G&S, % var. anual) 0.0 1.5 -12.0 20.9 -
Producción industrial (% var. anual) 10.7 -1.6 -5.2 12.3 3.6
Desempleo (% de la población activa, eop) 8.4 8.5 10.6 7.0 7.9
Desempleo (% de la población activa, aop) 8.4 8.9 10.4 9.3 7.9
Saldo fiscal (% del PIB) -2.7 -3.2 -5.2 -3.6 -
Deuda pública (% del PIB) 62.9 64.4 75.1 73.4 -
Inflación (IPC, % var. anual, eop) 8.0 8.8 9.4 8.0 8.3
Inflación (IPC, % var. anual, aop) 7.6 7.9 9.8 7.7 9.1
Inflación (IPP, % var. anual, aop) 9.7 12.8 10.5 14.4 12.4
Tipo de política monetaria (%, eop) 9.25 9.25 4.50 5.75 11.25
Tipo medio de depósito (%, aop) 5.30 5.86 4.37 3.71 6.98
Tipo de cambio (UYU por USD, eop) 32.42 37.33 42.36 44.72 39.98
Tipo de cambio (UYU por USD, aop) 30.71 35.24 42.01 43.57 41.15
Balanza por cuenta corriente (en millones de dólares) -0.3 0.9 -0.5 -1.6 -
Balanza por cuenta corriente (% del PIB) -0.5 1.5 -0.9 -2.7 -
Balanza comercial de mercancías (en millones de USD) 2.4 3.1 2.2 4.5 -
Exportaciones de mercancías (en millones de dólares) 11.8 11.9 10.1 15.7 -
Importaciones de mercancías (en millones de dólares) 9.4 8.8 7.9 11.2 -
Exportaciones de mercancías (% var. anual) 5.9 0.7 -15.2 56.0 -
Importaciones de mercancías (% var. anual) 2.5 -6.8 -9.7 41.9 -
Inversión extranjera directa (en millones de dólares) -0.1 2.0 0.6 1.6 -
Reservas internacionales (en millones de dólares) 15.6 14.5 16.2 17.0 15.1
Reservas internacionales (meses de importaciones) 19.9 19.9 24.6 18.1 -
Deuda externa (en millones de dólares) 43.0 45.2 47.1 48.7 -
Deuda externa (% del PIB) 66.7 73.8 87.9 82.2 -

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