Uruguay: education in numbers
Pre-primary enrolment is 97.1% (2020), 27th of 176 in the world and 4th of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean. Primary enrolment is 104.5% (2023), 54th of 191 in the world and 13th of 39 in Latin America & Caribbean. Primary completion is 101.2% (2023), 25th of 168 in the world and 9th of 33 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Education: Uruguay in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Latin America & Caribbean; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolmentPre-primary enrolment, % gross | 97.1%2020 | 27/176 | 4/33 | 63.5% | 90.7% | 97.1% | +6.5 ppsince 2010 | 75.6% | 83.8% | 60.9% | |
| Primary enrolmentPrimary school enrolment, % gross | 104.5%2023 | 54/191 | 13/39 | 110.2% | 110.0% | 105.2% | −4.1 ppsince 2013 | 104.6% | 99.8% | 102.2% | |
| Primary completionPrimary completion rate, % of age group | 101.2%2023 | 25/168 | 9/33 | 97.2% | 101.2% | 100.9% | +0.6 ppsince 2013 | 96.5% | 97.8% | 88.0% | |
| Secondary enrolmentSecondary school enrolment, % gross | 119.1%2023 | 17/176 | 6/37 | 96.9% | 98.7% | 117.0% | +14.4 ppsince 2013 | 98.0% | 103.2% | 77.3% | |
| Lower secondary completionLower secondary completion rate, % of age group | 77.9%2023 | 118/168 | 25/32 | 69.4%2001 | 70.8% | 64.4%2021 | +7.1 ppsince 2010 | 81.5% | 95.6% | 77.9% | |
| Tertiary enrolmentTertiary enrolment, % gross | 80.0%2023 | 30/172 | 5/31 | 33.8% | 51.9% | 64.9% | +20.0 ppsince 2013 | 58.9% | 82.0% | 43.6% | |
| Out-of-school childrenChildren out of school, % of primary school age | 0.0%2023 | 176/178 | 35/35 | · | 1.9% | 0.4% | −0.4 ppsince 2013 | — | 2.5% | — | |
| Adult literacyAdult literacy rate, % of people 15+ | 98.9%2024 | 24/141 | 2/26 | · | 98.1% | 99.0% | +0.5 ppsince 2014 | 94.9% | 97.7% | 87.7% | |
| Youth literacyYouth literacy rate, % of people 15–24 | 99.0%2024 | 54/148 | 13/31 | · | 98.8% | 99.0% | +0.2 ppsince 2014 | 98.7% | 99.3% | 93.1% | |
| Pupils per teacherPupils per teacher, primary | 11.02017 | 154/173 | 29/30 | 20.8 | 13.8 | · | −29%since 2007 | 21.3 | 14.0 | 23.4 | |
| Education spendingPublic spending on education, % of GDP | 4.8%2023 | 68/184 | 13/38 | 2.4% | 4.1%2011 | 4.6% | +0.5 ppsince 2013 | 3.8% | 4.7% | 3.6% | |
| Education, % of budgetEducation spending, % of government expenditure | 15.6%2023 | 52/179 | 15/37 | 8.4% | 15.2%2011 | 13.9% | +1.2 ppsince 2013 | 16.6% | 12.0% | 14.0% |
Better than ten years ago
- Pre-primary enrolment+6.5 pp97.1% in 2020
- Primary completion+0.6 pp101.2% in 2023
- Secondary enrolment+14.4 pp119.1% in 2023
- Lower secondary completion+7.1 pp77.9% in 2023
Worse than ten years ago
No rated indicator got worse over the decade.
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
Uruguay and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Uruguay. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Uruguay | Brazil | Argentina |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary enrolment | 97.1%2020 | 85.9%2020 | 76.2%2020 |
| Primary enrolment | 104.5%2023 | 104.3%2024 | 102.5%2023 |
| Primary completion | 101.2%2023 | — | 98.9%2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 119.1%2023 | 104.1%2024 | 105.6%2023 |
| Lower secondary completion | 77.9%2023 | — | 95.0%2023 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 80.0%2023 | 69.7%2024 | 107.8%2023 |
| Out-of-school children | 0.0%2023 | 2.2%2024 | 0.7%2023 |
| Adult literacy | 98.9%2024 | 94.7%2024 | 99.1%2020 |
| Youth literacy | 99.0%2024 | 99.5%2024 | 99.7%2020 |