Uruguay Population, Demographics, Religion & Ethnicity 2026

Uruguay is a largely European-descended nation, with the majority of its population identifying as White or of European ancestry. According to the 2023 Census, 86% of Uruguayans identify as White or of European descent, while 10.4% identify as Black or of African ancestry.

White Uruguayans primarily descend from colonial-era settlers and later European immigrants, mainly from Spain and Italy, with smaller communities of French, German, Portuguese, British, Irish, Swiss, and other European and Middle Eastern origins.

Indigenous peoples account for 6.3% of the population, while about 1% identify as East Asian, mainly of Lebanese/Syrian Arab, Chinese, or Japanese ancestry. Smaller populations of Western Asian (including Turkish and Israeli) and Caucasian ethnic groups such as Armenians and Georgians are also present.

Racial / Ethnic Composition of Uruguay (2023 Census)

Source: 2023 Census
Note: Percentages exceed 100% because respondents could select more than one ancestry.

In contrast, Latinobarómetro 2024, which is based on self-identified race rather than ancestry, presents a more mixed picture of Uruguay’s population. The survey identifies Mestizos as the largest group (42.2%), followed by White (23.3%), Indigenous (10.5%), and Afro-descendant populations (Black and Mulatto combined at over 11%), reflecting methodological differences between census ancestry data and survey-based self-identification.