Labour · Latin America & Caribbean · High income
Uruguay: the labour market
Labour force is 1.8m (2025), 129th of 187 in the world and 20th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Participation rate is 65.0% (2025), 60th of 187 in the world and 10th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean. Women's participation is 57.3% (2025), 65th of 187 in the world and 10th of 31 in Latin America & Caribbean.
Labour force
Uruguay
Participation rate
UruguayLatin America & CaribbeanHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 1.8m2025 | 129/187 | 20/31 | 1.5m | 1.7m | 1.7m | +4.7%since 2015 | 325m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 65.0%2025 | 60/187 | 10/31 | 60.2% | 64.3% | 61.1% | +0.1 ppsince 2015 | 62.7% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 57.3%2025 | 65/187 | 10/31 | 49.0% | 54.9% | 54.2% | +1.0 ppsince 2015 | 51.4% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 60.1%2025 | 71/187 | 12/31 | 52.6% | 59.7% | 54.7% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 59.3% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 7.5%2025 | 59/187 | 12/31 | 12.6% | 7.2% | 10.4% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 5.5% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 8.7%2025 | 59/187 | 12/31 | 15.9% | 9.5% | 12.4% | −0.2 ppsince 2015 | 6.5% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 25.1%2025 | 29/187 | 4/31 | 29.3% | 20.7% | 34.2% | +2.3 ppsince 2015 | 12.2% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 12.6%2025 | 123/170 | 27/28 | 23.0% | 18.1% | 17.1% | −6.1 ppsince 2015 | 18.1% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 72.0%2025 | 82/187 | 13/31 | 73.3% | 71.8% | 71.6% | −1.0 ppsince 2015 | 64.4% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 24.4%2025 | 104/187 | 19/31 | 23.1% | 23.5% | 24.9% | +1.4 ppsince 2015 | 31.5% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 8.1%2025 | 118/187 | 20/31 | 10.9% | 12.6% | 9.1% | −1.6 ppsince 2015 | 12.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 18.8%2025 | 98/187 | 16/31 | 22.1% | 19.7% | 17.4% | ±0.0 ppsince 2015 | 20.5% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 73.2%2025 | 45/187 | 8/31 | 67.0% | 67.8% | 73.5% | +1.6 ppsince 2015 | 66.8% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+1.0 pp57.3% in 2025
- Female unemployment−0.2 pp8.7% in 2025
- Youth NEET rate−6.1 pp12.6% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Youth unemployment+2.3 pp25.1% in 2025
- Wage workers−1.0 pp72.0% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+1.4 pp24.4% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 1.8m2025 | 108m2025 | 22.4m2025 |
| Participation rate | 65.0%2025 | 63.1%2025 | 61.9%2025 |
| Women's participation | 57.3%2025 | 53.4%2025 | 52.5%2025 |
| Employment rate | 60.1%2025 | 59.4%2025 | 57.5%2025 |
| Unemployment | 7.5%2025 | 6.0%2025 | 7.1%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 8.7%2025 | 7.3%2025 | 8.1%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 25.1%2025 | 14.0%2025 | 19.2%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 12.6%2025 | 18.7%2025 | 15.2%2025 |
| Wage workers | 72.0%2025 | 69.7%2025 | 74.4%2025 |