Economic Freedom Summary Index, Economic Freedom of the World, 25 Sep 2025
2023 overall score: 7.16, rank: 53
Territory in southeast South America, ruled since 1828 by the República Oriental del Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (Spanish: República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in the southeastern region of South America. It borders Argentina to its west and Brazil to its north and east, with the Río de la Plata (River of Silver) to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Uruguay is home to an estimated 3.44 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the metropolitan area of its capital and largest city, Montevideo. With an area of approximately 176,000 square kilometers, Uruguay is geographically the second-smallest nation in South America, after Suriname.
Geographical type: Territory
Latitude: 33° S — Longitude: 56° W
Area: 176,215 km²
ISO 3166-2 code: UY
Measures of Freedom
Human Freedom Index [PDF], The Human Freedom Index 2023: A Global Measurement of Personal, Civil, and Economic Freedom
2021: 7.96, Rank: 34, Personal freedom: 8.60, Economic freedom: 7.06
2021: 7.96, Rank: 34, Personal freedom: 8.60, Economic freedom: 7.06
Uruguay: Country Profile, Freedom in the World, 2025
Status: Free, Aggregate Score: 96/100, Political Rights: 40/40, Civil Liberties: 56/60
Status: Free, Aggregate Score: 96/100, Political Rights: 40/40, Civil Liberties: 56/60
Uruguay has a historically strong democratic governance structure and record of upholding political rights and civil liberties. There are some persistent issues with pressure on journalists, delays in the court system, conditions in the country’s prisons, and political representation of marginalized groups.
The introductory paragraph uses material from the Wikipedia article "Uruguay" as of 19 Sep 2018, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.