Uruguay (Oriental Republic of Uruguay)

Uruguay Oriental Republic of Uruguay
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	27th best
Capital	Montevideo
Land Area	175 020km21
Location	South America, The Americas
Population	3.4m2
Life Expectancy	75.44yrs (2017)3
GNI	$21 269 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 Codes	UY, URY, 8585
Internet Domain	.uy6
Currency	Peso (UYU)7
Telephone	+5988

1. Overview
2. Uruguay National and Social Development
3. Uruguay's Demographics and Migration
4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance
5. Uruguay's Health
6. Uruguay's Responsibility Towards The Environment
7. Uruguay's Modernity and Learning
8. Uruguay's Culture, Peace and Inequality
9. Religion and Beliefs
10. Links

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1. Overview

#argentina #spain #uruguay

“Montevideo, founded by the Spanish in 1726 as a military stronghold, soon took advantage of its natural harbor to become an important commercial center. Claimed by Argentina but annexed by Brazil in 1821, Uruguay declared its independence four years later and secured its freedom in 1828 after a three-year struggle. The administrations of President Jose BATLLE in the early 20th century established widespread political, social, and economic reforms that established a statist tradition. A violent Marxist urban guerrilla movement named the Tupamaros, launched in the late 1960s, led Uruguay's president to cede control of the government to the military in 1973. By yearend, the rebels had been crushed, but the military continued to expand its hold over the government. Civilian rule was not restored until 1985. In 2004, the left-of-center Frente Amplio Coalition won national elections that effectively ended 170 years of political control previously held by the Colorado and Blanco parties. Uruguay's political and labor conditions are among the freest on the continent.”

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Uruguay is a backpacker´s dream. Travelers come for the wild, surf-pounded beaches, for celeb-spotting at Punta and the history-soaked smugglers´ port of Colonia. Wedged like a grape between Brazil´s gargantuan thumb and Argentina´s long forefinger, South America´s smallest Spanish-speaking country has always been an underdog. Bypassed by the Spanish for its lack of mineral wealth, batted about like a ping-pong ball at the whim of its more powerful neighbors and neglected by many modern-day travelers, Uruguay remains a delightfully low-key, hospitable place where visitors can melt into the background - whether caught in a cow-and-gaucho traffic jam on a dirt road to nowhere or strolling with mate-toting locals along Montevideo´s beachfront.

Short-term visitors will find plenty to keep them busy in cosmopolitan Montevideo, picturesque Colonia and party-till-you-drop Punta del Este. But if you've got time, dig a little deeper. Go wildlife-watching along the Atlantic coast, hot-spring-hopping up the Río Uruguay, or horseback riding under the big sky of Uruguay's vast interior, where fields spread out like oceans dotted with little cow and eucalyptus islands.”

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Uruguay National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better Value11
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
56	Kazakhstan	0.811
57	Trinidad & Tobago	0.810
58=	Costa Rica	0.809
58=	Uruguay	0.809
60	Belarus	0.808
61	Panama	0.805
62	Malaysia	0.803
63=	Mauritius	0.802
	The Americas Avg	0.75
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $11
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
60	Bulgaria	$23 079
61	Guyana	$22 465
62	Mauritius	$22 025
63	Uruguay	$21 269
64	Argentina	$20 925
65	Montenegro	$20 839
66	Costa Rica	$19 974
67	Serbia	$19 123
	The Americas Avg	$16 628
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index12
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank12
1	Denmark	29.7
2	Norway	33.6
3	Switzerland	35.2
	...
24	Portugal	51.1
25	S. Korea	52.6
26	Costa Rica	56.3
27	Uruguay	57.0
28	Estonia	58.1
29	Czechia	58.2
30	Cyprus	58.6
31	Monaco	59.0
	The Americas Avg	81.5
	World Avg	88.9
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Uruguay's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population Datasets:

Uruguay's population is predicted to rise to 3.601 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 1.48. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population2
Pos.		2018 Population2
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
130	Moldova	4.1m
131	Georgia	4.0m
132	Eritrea	3.5m
133	Uruguay	3.4m
134	Bosnia & Herzegovina	3.3m
135	Mongolia	3.2m
136	Armenia	3.0m
137	Jamaica	2.9m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
54	Montenegro	76.3
55	Panama	76.2
56	Turkey	76.0
57	Uruguay	75.4
58	Argentina	75.4
59	Bosnia & Herzegovina	75.3
60	Lebanon	75.0
61	Grenada	74.9
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
88	Kosovo	1.51
89	Belarus	1.50
90	Netherlands	1.49
91	Uruguay	1.48
92=	Latvia	1.47
92=	Liechtenstein	1.47
94	Channel Islands	1.47
95	Germany	1.46
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better15
Pos.		2016 Per 10015
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
129	Moldova	24.7
130	China	25.3
131	Mauritius	25.9
132	Uruguay	26.8
133	Cyprus	26.9
134	Chile	27.0
135	Macedonia	27.7
136	Luxembourg	28.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

• The Population of the Earth
• Abortion, Birth Control and Contraception

Migration Datasets:

Immigrants16
Pos.		2017 %16
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
116	Swaziland	2.4%
117	Ecuador	2.4%
118	Paraguay	2.4%
119	Uruguay	2.3%
120	Mauritius	2.3%
121	Benin	2.3%
122	S. Korea	2.3%
123	Cameroon	2.2%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants17
Pos.		2010 %17
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
63	Mexico	10.7%
64	Andorra	10.7%
65	Liberia	10.5%
66	Uruguay	10.5%
67	Hong Kong	10.2%
68	Dominican Rep.	10.1%
69	Zimbabwe	9.9%
70	Haiti	9.9%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#canada #equality #freedom #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #Uruguay #uruguay_freedom

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)18
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank18
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
21	Portugal	31.3
22	Costa Rica	31.8
23	Japan	34.5
24	Uruguay	35.5
25	Estonia	36.9
26	USA	38.6
	The Americas Avg	71.80
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

Uruguay has 190-year history of democracy and good governance (albeit with some gaps and lulls)₁₉. Uruguay performs very well in ensuring human rights and freedom compared to most other countries. Uruguay does the best for its average Freedom in the World rating. It does the second-best for its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₀. It comes in the best 20 in eliminating modern slavery₂₁ (one of the best in The Americas) and in LGBT equality₂₂ (amongst the highest in The Americas). It does better than average in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)₂₃, freethought₂₄, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms₂₅, supporting press freedom₂₆ and in opposing gender inequality₂₇. Uruguay still has work to do. Uruguay does worse than average in its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice₂₈. Despite that and some other issues, across the Americas, only Canada has a better record on human rights and human development.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

• Human Rights and Freedom in Uruguay

5. Uruguay's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #public_health #smoking #suicide #uruguay #vaccines

Compared to The Americas (2025)29
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank29
1	Curaço	49.7
2	Aruba	49.9
3	US Virgin Islands	51.9
	...
14	Brazil	82.3
15=	Colombia	84.9
16	Grenada	87.4
17	Uruguay	88.2
18	Ecuador	89.5
19	Bermuda	91.5
20	Dominica	91.9
21	Bahamas	92.0
22	Trinidad & Tobago	92.9
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=44.

Health (2025)29
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank29
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
81	Turkmenistan	87.3
82	Indonesia	87.4
83	Grenada	87.4
84	Uruguay	88.2
85	Bhutan	88.8
86	Kazakhstan	89.2
87	Ecuador	89.5
88	Lebanon	89.5
	World Avg	96.49
q=213.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₃₀. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are The Marshall Islands, The Cook Islands and S. Sudan₃₀.

27 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, obesity rate, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Mediterranean₃₀, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₃₀.

For more, see:

• "Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Health Datasets:

Uruguay has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Uruguay does better than average in its average life expectancy₁₁, its immunizations take-up₃₁, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₂, its fertility rate₁₄ (but bad for The Americas) and in its adolescent birth rate₃₃. Uruguay doesn't do so well in other areas. Uruguay does worse than average in its smoking rate₃₄, the prevalence of overweight adults₃₅ (one of the worst in The Americas) and in its alcohol consumption rate₃₆ (one of the highest in The Americas). And finally, it sits amongst the bottom 20 for its suicide rate₃₇ (amongst the worst in The Americas). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Uruguay improved by +4.3yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Uruguay's peak fertility rate was 3.02 in 1975.

Life Expectancy Higher is better11
Pos.		2021 Years11
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
54	Montenegro	76.3
55	Panama	76.2
56	Turkey	76.0
57	Uruguay	75.4
58	Argentina	75.4
59	Bosnia & Herzegovina	75.3
60	Lebanon	75.0
61	Grenada	74.9
	The Americas Avg	72.58
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better36
Pos.		2016 Per Capita36
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
157=	Australia	10.6
158	New Zealand	10.7
159=	Finland	10.7
160	Uruguay	10.8
161=	Cyprus	10.8
162	Serbia	11.1
163	Belarus	11.2
164=	Andorra	11.3
	The Americas Avg	6.9
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best14
Pos.		202214
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
88	Kosovo	1.51
89	Belarus	1.50
90	Netherlands	1.49
91	Uruguay	1.48
92=	Latvia	1.47
92=	Liechtenstein	1.47
94	Channel Islands	1.47
95	Germany	1.46
	The Americas Avg	1.80
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking in the 2020s Lower is better34
Pos.		Total %34
1	Nigeria	3.3%
2	Ghana	3.4%
3	Panama	5.2%
	...
87	Seychelles	20.3%
88	Israel	20.4%
89	Philippines	20.5%
90	Uruguay	20.5%
91	Tunisia	20.6%
92	S. Africa	20.7%
93	Mauritius	21.0%
94	Algeria	21.2%
	The Americas Avg	12.7%
	World Avg	20.0%
q=165.

In Uruguay in 2014, tobacco producer Phillip Morris was suing the government for having to display massive health warnings on packets, 'claiming the warnings infringed its intellectual property rights and commercial freedom'. Their legal battles amounted to an 'onslaught' against Uruguay, taking the small country to international courts, to try to warn other countries not to follow suit with anti-tobacco laws.₃₈

• The Tobacco Lobby: Fake Science, Legal Aggression, Lies and Misinformation

Suicide Rate37
Pos.		2013 Per 100k37
1	Haiti	0
2	Grenada	0
3	Egypt	0.1
	...
69	Hong Kong	29.7
70	Poland	30.5
71	Austria	30.9
72	Uruguay	32.3
73	France	33.2
74	Moldova	35.7
75	Switzerland	36.2
76	Croatia	36.4
	The Americas Avg	13.57
	World Avg	20.93
q=91.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
77	Guatemala	77
78	Sri Lanka	78
79	Poland	79
80	Uruguay	80
81	Dominican Rep.	81
82	Zambia	82
83	Croatia	83
84	Indonesia	84
	The Americas Avg	94.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better35
Pos.		1976 %35
1	Bangladesh	4.7
2	Vietnam	5.1
3	Nepal	5.4
	...
151=	France	40.4
151=	Argentina	40.4
151=	Chile	40.4
154	Uruguay	40.5
155=	UK	40.6
155=	Iceland	40.6
155=	Canada	40.6
158	Poland	40.8
	The Americas Avg	30.7
	World Avg	27.1
q=191.

Adult Obesity Lower is better39
Pos.		2022 %39
1	Vietnam	2.1%
2	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.2%
3	Ethiopia	2.4%
	...
161	New Zealand	34.2%
162	Turkey	34.3%
163	Malta	34.6%
164	Uruguay	34.7%
165	Jordan	35.6%
166	Croatia	35.7%
167	Argentina	36.0%
168	Panama	36.1%
	The Americas Avg	32.0%
	World Avg	24.7%
q=199.

Children's Health Datasets:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better33
Pos.		2022 Per 100033
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
94	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	33.3
95	Kyrgyzstan	33.8
96	Vietnam	35.0
97	Uruguay	35.2
98	Romania	35.4
99	Micronesia	35.7
100	Costa Rica	35.7
101	St Lucia	36.3
	The Americas Avg	48.1
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better31
Pos.		2015 Avg %31
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
55	Portugal	95.7
56=	Qatar	95.6
56=	Armenia	95.6
58	Uruguay	95.6
59	Bhutan	95.6
60	Turkey	95.5
61	Malta	95.5
62	Botswana	95.4
	The Americas Avg	91.3
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Uruguay's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #china #climate_change #deforestation #energy #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #sustainability #the_environment #uruguay #USA #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to The Americas (2025)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Uruguay	43.2
2	Puerto Rico	47.1
3	Costa Rica	49.7
4	Chile	56.4
5	Peru	56.7
6	Dominican Rep.	65.0
7	Ecuador	65.6
8	Guatemala	66.1
9	Mexico	66.3
10	El Salvador	67.4
11	Brazil	70.2
12	Colombia	70.9
13	Argentina	78.5
	The Americas Avg	92.66
q=36.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)40
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank40
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
4	Morocco	46.5
5	Puerto Rico	47.1
6	Burundi	47.8
7	Nepal	47.9
8	India	49.5
9	Philippines	49.6
10	Costa Rica	49.7
11	Denmark	50.4
12	Mali	51.0
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

We have known for a long term that we must protect the environment from habitation destruction, over-exploitation, pollution, and the emissions that cause climate change. In 1998, Greenpeace wrote that "Environment can no longer be meaningfully separated from health, quality of life, democracy, education, economy or trade"₄₁. What countries have been doing the right thing, via legislation and national culture? All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

• " Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Uruguay comes 2nd-best in the world in terms of its responsibility towards the environment; only Sri Lanka does better. This rank is formulated from 21 data sets. Uruguay comes in the best 20 when it comes to its forested percent change 2000-2020₄₂ and in its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment. It does better than average in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population₄₃ (but low for The Americas), its score on the Green Future Index₄₄, its environmental performance₄₅ and in energy to GDP efficiency₄₆. Uruguay still has work to do. Uruguay does worse than average for reducing annual meat consumption per person₄₇.

Environmental Performance Higher is better45
Pos.		201845
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
44	Belarus	65.0
45	Romania	64.8
46	Dominican Rep.	64.7
47	Uruguay	64.7
48	Estonia	64.3
49	Singapore	64.2
50	Poland	64.1
51	Venezuela	63.9
	The Americas Avg	58.8
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Energy to GDP Efficiency Lower is better46
Pos.		2022 Avg46
1	Rwanda	0.25
2	Chad	0.26
3	Tanzania	0.31
	...
65	Djibouti	0.94
66	France	0.95
67	Portugal	0.95
68	Uruguay	0.96
69	Nicaragua	0.96
70	Zambia	0.97
71	Equatorial Guinea	0.98
72	India	0.98
	The Americas Avg	1.42
	World Avg	1.23
q=165.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
12	Belarus	76%
13	Lithuania	75%
14	Australia	74%
15	Uruguay	74%
16	Macedonia	74%
17	Panama	74%
18	Denmark	73%
19	Ecuador	72%
	The Americas Avg	60.7%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Uruguay was one of the 19 countries that signed the Basel Convention on its very first day and one of 18 countries who enacted Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in its first year (1975). The USA's failure to sign Kyoto Protocol seriously damaged global efforts to combat climate change, discouraging the 2nd biggest player (China), and stalling the entire project to combat human factors causing climate change. As a result, its replacement, the Paris Agreement of 2016, had to be weakened to the point of being almost meaningless, for the purpose of enticing the USA to sign it (which it did). The USA's political failures to curb its industrial and its corporate environmental abuses is genuinely harming the entire planet.

Rational Beliefs on the Environment Higher is better43
Pos.		2011 %43
1	Argentina	78.3%
2	Greece	77.6%
3	Brazil	77.1%
	...
20	Chile	63.8%
21	Ivory Coast	63.7%
22	Madagascar	62.8%
23	Uruguay	62.4%
24	Angola	62.4%
25	Bangladesh	61.5%
26	Mali	60.7%
27	Venezuela	60.1%
	The Americas Avg	58.6%
	World Avg	39.9%
q=145.

Meat Consumption Lower is better47
Pos.		2021 kg47
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
109	Moldova	61.9
110	Costa Rica	62.2
111	China	63.6
112	Uruguay	62.8
113	Jamaica	63.4
114	Slovakia	63.5
115	China	63.6
116	Netherlands	63.8
	The Americas Avg	70.3
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, meat consumption per person in Uruguay was reducing.₄₇

Green Future Index Higher is better44
Pos.		2023 Score44
1	Iceland	6.7
2	Finland	6.7
3	Norway	6.4
	...
23	Bulgaria	5.3
24	Costa Rica	5.3
25	S. Africa	5.2
26	Uruguay	5.1
27	China	5.1
28	Japan	5.1
29	Hungary	5.1
30	Chile	5.1
	The Americas Avg	4.6
	World Avg	4.8
q=76.

7. Uruguay's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #maths #modernity #religion #religiosity #research #science #secularisation #technology #the_internet

Compared to The Americas (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1=	Canada	21.8
2	USA	26.4
3	Argentina	38.2
4	Grenada	43.4
5	Barbados	47.4
6	St Kitts & Nevis	48.8
7	Chile	48.8
8	Brazil	52.8
9	Uruguay	57.6
10	Mexico	64.5
11	Peru	68.2
12	Costa Rica	69.8
13	Cuba	72.8
	The Americas Avg	81.34
q=35.

Modernity & Learning (2020)48
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank48
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
52	Turkey	55.9
53	S. Africa	56.9
54	Serbia	57.1
55	Uruguay	57.6
56	Malaysia	59.4
57	Kazakhstan	59.8
58=	Saudi Arabia	62.0
58=	Tonga	62.0
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₄₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₄₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₅₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”

Bill Emmott (2017)₅₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₄₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₄₉.

For more, see:

• "Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education Datasets:

Research & Development Higher is better
Pos.		2016 % RDP PPP
1	S. Korea	4.2952
2	Israel	4.1152
3	Japan	3.5852
	...
83	Botswana	0.2553
84	Armenia	0.2454
85=	Sudan	0.2355
85=	Uruguay	0.2353
85=	Mongolia	0.2354
85=	Bermuda	0.2354
89	Togo	0.2253
90=	Nigeria	0.2255
	The Americas Avg	0.47
	World Avg	0.84
q=126.

Secondary Education Higher is better56
Pos.		201856
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
98	Gabon	57.6%
99	Libya	57.4%
100	Dominican Rep.	56.6%
101	Uruguay	56.0%
102	Lebanon	54.9%
103	Portugal	54.2%
104	Turkey	53.1%
105	Costa Rica	52.9%
	The Americas Avg	63.0%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better57
Pos.		2021 Years57
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
19	Germany	17.0
20	Portugal	16.9
21	Malta	16.8
22	Uruguay	16.8
23	Chile	16.7
24	Costa Rica	16.5
25	Singapore	16.5
26	S. Korea	16.5
	The Americas Avg	14.2
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
132	Haiti	132
133	Botswana	133
134	Suriname	134
135	Uruguay	135
136	Honduras	136
137	Papua New Guinea	137
138	Congo, DR	138
139	Ecuador	139
	The Americas Avg	99.8
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Maths, Science & Reading Higher is better58
Pos.		2015 Score58
1	Singapore	1655
2	Hong Kong	1598
3	Japan	1586
	...
46=	Romania	1313
46=	Cyprus	1313
48	UAE	1298
49	Uruguay	1290
50	Turkey	1273
51	Trinidad & Tobago	1269
52	Moldova	1264
53	Montenegro	1256
	The Americas Avg	1287
	World Avg	1389
q=70.

Religiosity Lower is better59
Pos.		2018 %59
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
31=	Ukraine	23
32	Canada	27
33=	Uzbekistan	29
33=	Uruguay	29
35	Poland	30
36	Serbia	34
37=	Israel	36
37=	Portugal	36
	The Americas Avg	65.4
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

IQ Higher is better60
Pos.		200660
1=	Hong Kong	108
1=	Singapore	108
3	S. Korea	106
	...
33=	Russia	97
33=	Belarus	97
35	Moldova	96
36=	Uruguay	96
36=	Slovenia	96
36=	Slovakia	96
39	Portugal	95
40=	Israel	95
	The Americas Avg	85.3
	World Avg	85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information Datasets:

Internet Users Higher is better61
Pos.		201661
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
65	St Kitts & Nevis	66%
66	Dominica	66%
67	Italy	66%
68=	Uruguay	65%
68=	Antigua & Barbuda	65%
70	Greece	65%
71	Saudi Arabia	65%
72	French Polynesia	64%
	The Americas Avg	56.4%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better62
Pos.		2017 Ratio62
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
59	China	0.3
60	Iceland	0.3
61	Turkey	0.3
62=	Uruguay	0.3
62=	Moldova	0.3
64	UAE	0.3
65	Seychelles	0.2
66	Puerto Rico	0.2
	The Americas Avg	3.36
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

Digital Quality of Life Higher is better63
Pos.		202463
1	Germany	77.9%
2	Finland	76.9%
3	France	73.9%
	...
43	UAE	55.8%
44	Chile	55.0%
45	China	54.8%
46	Uruguay	54.8%
47	Ukraine	54.4%
48	Serbia	53.5%
49	Turkey	52.2%
50	Russia	52.1%
	The Americas Avg	44.7%
	World Avg	48.4%
q=121.

8. Uruguay's Culture, Peace and Inequality

#capitalism #charitability #charity #corruption #culture #economics #equality #extremism #happiness #health #human_development #inequality #life_expectancy #morals #peace #politics #religious_violence #social_development #terrorism #uruguay

Compared to The Americas (2020)64
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank64
1	Canada	23.1
2	Barbados	46.9
3	Costa Rica	47.3
4	Uruguay	52.6
5	USA	54.1
6	Chile	57.4
7	Trinidad & Tobago	62.1
8	Jamaica	69.5
9	Argentina	73.6
10	Cuba	73.8
11	Panama	78.4
12	Belize	78.8
13	Dominica	79.6
	The Americas Avg	79.19
q=33.

Culture, Peace & Inequality (2020)64
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank64
1	Denmark	11.2
2	Norway	13.9
3	Netherlands	14.4
	...
37	Slovakia	48.8
38	Bhutan	49.2
39	S. Korea	49.5
40	Uruguay	52.6
41	Croatia	52.9
42	USA	54.1
43	Romania	54.4
44	Malaysia	55.4
	World Avg	78.12
q=180.

This is the final pillar of the Social and Moral Development Index; it has 22 datasets, including multiple decades of data on World Giving Index, resisting corruption, overall happiness, Creativity and Culture, Open Trading, Aid and Development, its Global Peace Index rating, Peacekeeping and Security, Refugees and UN Treaties, the impact of terrorism, Inequality in Life Expectancy, Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) and Multidimensional Poverty.

For more, see:

• "Which are the Countries for International Contributions, Creativity, Peace and Inequality?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

National Culture Datasets:

World Giving Index Higher is better65
Pos.		2022 %65
1	Indonesia	68.0
2	Kenya	61.0
3	USA	59.0
	...
60=	Nicaragua	40.0
60=	Senegal	40.0
60=	Estonia	40.0
60=	Uruguay	40.0
60=	Turkey	40.0
60=	Hungary	40.0
60=	India	40.0
60=	Cyprus	40.0
	The Americas Avg	43.7
	World Avg	39.6
q=125.

Corruption Higher is better66
Pos.		2022 Points66
1	Denmark	90.0
2=	Finland	87.0
2=	New Zealand	87.0
	...
12	Hong Kong	76.0
13	Australia	75.0
14=	Estonia	74.0
14=	Uruguay	74.0
14=	Iceland	74.0
14=	Canada	74.0
18	UK	73.0
19=	Japan	73.0
	The Americas Avg	42.97
	World Avg	42.98
q=180.

Of all countries throughout the 2000s, Uruguay improved its Corruption Perception Index score at joint-3rd best rate.

Happiness Higher is better67
Pos.		2024 Score67
1	Finland	7.7
2	Denmark	7.5
3	Iceland	7.5
	...
25	Belize	6.7
26	Poland	6.7
27	Taiwan	6.7
28	Uruguay	6.7
29	Kosovo	6.7
30	Kuwait	6.6
31	Serbia	6.6
32	Saudi Arabia	6.6
	The Americas Avg	6.31
	World Avg	5.58
q=147.

Creativity & Culture Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
56	Mauritania	56
57	India	57
58	Philippines	58
59	Uruguay	59
60	Samoa	60
61	Montenegro	61
62	Ukraine	62
63	Israel	63
	The Americas Avg	80.2
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
132	Bangladesh	132
133	Indonesia	133
134	Egypt	134
135	Uruguay	135
136	Namibia	136
137	Yemen	137
138	Cambodia	138
139	Antigua & Barbuda	139
	The Americas Avg	100.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability Datasets:

Uruguay is the most peaceful country in South America, but has been deteriorating since at least 2008, "driven by increasing political instability, violent crime, and violent demonstrations"₆₈.

Global Peace Index Lower is better69
Pos.		2023 Score69
1	Iceland	1.12
2	Denmark	1.31
3	Ireland	1.31
	...
47	Sierra Leone	1.79
48	Oman	1.79
49	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	1.80
50	Uruguay	1.80
51	Ghana	1.80
52	Senegal	1.83
53	Indonesia	1.83
54	Argentina	1.84
	The Americas Avg	2.13
	World Avg	2.07
q=163.

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
6	Uruguay	6
7	Indonesia	7
8	Brunei	8
9	Moldova	9
10	Morocco	10
11	Oman	11
12	Tanzania	12
	The Americas Avg	82.3
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better32
Pos.		2017 Rank32
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
34	Mauritius	34
35	Bosnia & Herzegovina	35
36	Romania	36
37	Uruguay	37
38	Liberia	38
39	Turkey	39
40	Malaysia	40
41	Montenegro	41
	The Americas Avg	91.5
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Impact of Terrorism Lower is better70
Pos.		2019 Score70
1	Togo	0.00
2	Mongolia	0.00
3	Swaziland	0.00
	...
27=	Serbia	0.12
27=	Estonia	0.12
29	New Zealand	0.14
30	Uruguay	0.17
31	Dominican Rep.	0.18
32	Hungary	0.18
33	Switzerland	0.19
34	Latvia	0.23
	The Americas Avg	2.16
	World Avg	2.78
q=150.

Economic Inequality and Poverty Datasets:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better71
Pos.		201971
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
62	Brunei	7.60
63	Kazakhstan	7.70
64=	Macedonia	7.90
64=	Uruguay	7.90
64=	Thailand	7.90
64=	Georgia	7.90
64=	China	7.90
69	Argentina	8.60
	The Americas Avg	12.03
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better72
Pos.		2023 %72
1	Slovakia	24.1%73
2	Slovenia	24.3%73
3	Belarus	24.4%74
	...
119	Jamaica	40.2%73
120	Peru	40.3%75
121	Tanzania	40.5%76
122	Uruguay	40.6%75
123=	Argentina	40.7%75
123=	Sao Tome & Principe	40.7%77
123=	Philippines	40.7%73
123=	Malaysia	40.7%73
	The Americas Avg	44.0%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

From 1981 to 2005, income inequality statistics were for urban areas only, but the figures were not widely divergent from the overall values thereafter.

9. Religion and Beliefs

#belief #buddhism #christianity #god #hinduism #islam #judaism #religion #religion_in_uruguay #religiosity #secularisation #Uruguay

Religiosity (2018)59
Pos.		Lower is better %59
1	China	3
2	Estonia	6
3	Czechia	7
	...
31=	Ukraine	23
32	Canada	27
33=	Uzbekistan	29
33=	Uruguay	29
35	Poland	30
36	Serbia	34
37=	Israel	36
37=	Portugal	36
39	Azerbaijan	38
40	Chile	41
41=	Croatia	42
41=	Moldova	42
43	Argentina	43
44	Mexico	45
45	Kyrgyzstan	47
46	Kosovo	48
	World Avg	54.3
q=106.

Disbelief In God (2007)78
Pos.		Higher is better %78
1	Vietnam	81
2	Japan	65
3	Sweden	64
	...
37=	Singapore	13
38	Kazakhstan	12
39=	China	12
39=	Uruguay	12
41	USA	10
42	Trinidad & Tobago	9
43	Albania	8
44=	Dominican Rep.	7
44=	Croatia	7
44=	Kyrgyzstan	7
44=	Cambodia	7
48	Moldova	6
49=	Italy	6
50	Laos	5
51=	Ireland	5
51=	Mozambique	5
	World Avg	9.9
q=137.

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₇₉:

Christian	57.9%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.8%
Jewish	0.3%
Unaffiliated	40.7%

It appears that when asked "What religion are you" many give pollsters the 'correct' answer despite how they actually feel, and despite what they actually believe. Although 59.3% of the populace say they belong to a religion, only 29% say that they are religious when the question is phrased as "Is religion an important part of your daily life?".

For more on this phenomenon, see:

• "Institutionalized Religions Have Their Numbers Inflated by National Polls" by Vexen Crabtree (2009)

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006)₈₀.

Freedom of Religion and Belief: Uruguay has several laws that take seriously the democratic principle of separation of church and state, and the Constitution prohibits discrimination based on religion.₈₁

"Uruguay is among the most secular countries in Latin America. A Pew Research Center study on the global religious landscape as of 2010 found that roughly four-in-ten Uruguayans are unaffiliated with a particular religion. About 58 percent of Uruguayans are Christian; in the Latin America-Caribbean region as a whole, 90 percent of the population is Christian".₈₂

Links:

• A List of All Religions and Belief Systems
• Secularisation Theory: Will Modern Society Reject Religion? What is Secularism?
• Human Rights and Freedom in Uruguay: 4.3. Freedom of Thought