Home

Argentina vs. Uruguay

Demographics

ArgentinaUruguay
Population45,864,941 (July 2021 est.)3,398,239 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 24.02% (male 5,629,188/female 5,294,723)

15-24 years: 15.19% (male 3,539,021/female 3,367,321)

25-54 years: 39.6% (male 9,005,758/female 9,002,931)

55-64 years: 9.07% (male 2,000,536/female 2,122,699)

65 years and over: 12.13% (male 2,331,679/female 3,185,262) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 19.51% (male 336,336/female 324,563)

15-24 years: 15.14% (male 259,904/female 252,945)

25-54 years: 39.86% (male 670,295/female 679,850)

55-64 years: 10.79% (male 172,313/female 193,045)

65 years and over: 14.71% (male 200,516/female 297,838) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 32.4 years

male: 31.1 years

female: 33.6 years (2020 est.)
total: 35.5 years

male: 33.8 years

female: 37.3 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate0.84% (2021 est.)0.26% (2021 est.)
Birth rate15.8 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)12.75 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate7.36 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)9.24 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 9.55 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 10.57 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 8.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 8.48 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 9.65 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 7.27 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 78.07 years

male: 74.97 years

female: 81.36 years (2021 est.)
total population: 78.19 years

male: 75.06 years

female: 81.42 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate2.2 children born/woman (2021 est.)1.76 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.4% (2020 est.)0.4% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Argentine(s)

adjective: Argentine
noun: Uruguayan(s)

adjective: Uruguayan
Ethnic groupsEuropean (mostly Spanish and Italian descent) and Mestizo (mixed European and Amerindian ancestry) 97.2%, Amerindian 2.4%, African descent 0.4% (2010 est.)White 87.7%, Black 4.6%, Indigenous 2.4%, other 0.3%, none or unspecified 5% (2011 est.)

note: data represent primary ethnic identity
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS140,000 (2020 est.)12,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 62.9%, Evangelical 15.3% (Pentecostal 13%, other Evangelical 2.3%), Jehovah's Witness and Mormon 1.4%, other 1.2%, agnostic 3.2%, atheist 6%, none 9.7%, unspecified 0.3% (2019 est.)Roman Catholic 47.1%, non-Catholic Christians 11.1%, nondenominational 23.2%, Jewish 0.3%, atheist or agnostic 17.2%, other 1.1% (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths1,400 (2020 est.)<200 (2020 est.)
LanguagesSpanish (official), Italian, English, German, French, indigenous (Mapudungun, Quechua)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Spanish (official)

major-language sample(s):
La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de información básica. (Spanish)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99%

male: 98.9%

female: 99.1% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98.7%

male: 98.4%

female: 99% (2018)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 18 years

male: 16 years

female: 19 years (2017)
total: 17 years

male: NA

female: NA (2017)
Education expenditures5.5% of GDP (2017)5% of GDP (2018)
Urbanizationurban population: 92.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.97% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 95.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.4% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 99% of population

rural: 100% of population

total: 99.1% of population

unimproved: urban: 1% of population

rural: 0% of population

total: 0.9% of population (2015 est.)
improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 93.9% of population

total: 99.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 100% of population

rural: 95% of population

total: 100% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 98.3% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban: 1.7% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 99% of population

rural: 98.3% of population

total: 98.9% of population

unimproved: urban: 1% of population

rural: 1.7% of population

total: 2.1% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population15.258 million BUENOS AIRES (capital), 1.585 million Cordoba, 1.554 million Rosario, 1.191 million Mendoza, 1 million San Miguel de Tucuman, 894,000 La Plata (2021)1.760 million MONTEVIDEO (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate39 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)17 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight1.7% (2018/19)1.8% (2018)
Health expenditures9.6% (2018)9.2% (2018)
Physicians density3.99 physicians/1,000 population (2017)5.08 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Hospital bed density5 beds/1,000 population (2017)2.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate28.3% (2016)27.9% (2016)
Demographic profile

Argentina's population continues to grow but at a slower rate because of its steadily declining birth rate. Argentina's fertility decline began earlier than in the rest of Latin America, occurring most rapidly between the early 20th century and the 1950s, and then becoming more gradual. Life expectancy has been improving, most notably among the young and the poor. While the population under age 15 is shrinking, the youth cohort - ages 15-24 - is the largest in Argentina's history and will continue to bolster the working-age population. If this large working-age population is well-educated and gainfully employed, Argentina is likely to experience an economic boost and possibly higher per capita savings and investment. Although literacy and primary school enrollment are nearly universal, grade repetition is problematic and secondary school completion is low. Both of these issues vary widely by region and socioeconomic group.

Argentina has been primarily a country of immigration for most of its history, welcoming European immigrants (often providing needed low-skilled labor) after its independence in the 19th century and attracting especially large numbers from Spain and Italy. More than 7 million European immigrants are estimated to have arrived in Argentina between 1880 and 1930, when it adopted a more restrictive immigration policy. European immigration also began to wane in the 1930s because of the global depression. The inflow rebounded temporarily following WWII and resumed its decline in the 1950s when Argentina's military dictators tightened immigration rules and European economies rebounded. Regional migration increased, however, supplying low-skilled workers escaping economic and political instability in their home countries. As of 2015, immigrants made up almost 5% of Argentina's population, the largest share in South America. Migration from neighboring countries accounted for approximately 80% of Argentina's immigrant population in 2015.

The first waves of highly skilled Argentine emigrant workers headed mainly to the United States and Spain in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by economic decline and repressive military dictatorships. The 2008 European economic crisis drove the return migration of some Argentinean and other Latin American nationals, as well as the immigration of Europeans to South America, where Argentina was a key recipient. In 2015, Argentina received the highest number of legal migrants in Latin America and the Caribbean. The majority of its migrant inflow came from Paraguay and Bolivia.

Uruguay rates high for most development indicators and is known for its secularism, liberal social laws, and well-developed social security, health, and educational systems. It is one of the few countries in Latin America and the Caribbean where the entire population has access to clean water. Uruguay's provision of free primary through university education has contributed to the country's high levels of literacy and educational attainment. However, the emigration of human capital has diminished the state's return on its investment in education. Remittances from the roughly 18% of Uruguayans abroad amount to less than 1 percent of national GDP. The emigration of young adults and a low birth rate are causing Uruguay's population to age rapidly.

In the 1960s, Uruguayans for the first time emigrated en masse - primarily to Argentina and Brazil - because of economic decline and the onset of more than a decade of military dictatorship. Economic crises in the early 1980s and 2002 also triggered waves of emigration, but since 2002 more than 70% of Uruguayan emigrants have selected the US and Spain as destinations because of better job prospects. Uruguay had a tiny population upon its independence in 1828 and welcomed thousands of predominantly Italian and Spanish immigrants, but the country has not experienced large influxes of new arrivals since the aftermath of World War II. More recent immigrants include Peruvians and Arabs.

Contraceptive prevalence rate81.3% (2013)

note:  percent of women aged 14-49
79.6% (2015)

note: percent of women aged 15-44
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 56.5

youth dependency ratio: 38.1

elderly dependency ratio: 17.7

potential support ratio: 5.6 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 54.9

youth dependency ratio: 31.5

elderly dependency ratio: 23.4

potential support ratio: 4.3 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook