Where Are Uruguay's New Residents Coming From? What the 2023 Census Actually Shows
INGAR · · Analysis
According to the country-of-origin table in the Censo 2023 (Uruguay's national census), 107.578 personas nacidas en el exterior were living in Uruguay, broken out by country of birth. Argentina led the list with 31.894 people, followed by Venezuela, Cuba and Brazil.
The picture flips entirely when you narrow it to people who reported arriving between 2012 and 2023: in that group, Venezuela comes first with 15.230 people, ahead of Argentina and Cuba.
Both rankings are accurate. They simply answer different questions:
- Total stock: foreign-born people living in Uruguay on census day.
- Recent cohort: those who reported arriving between 2012 and 2023 and were still living here in 2023.
That second figure does not capture every arrival during the period — it leaves out, for instance, anyone who came and then left before the census was taken.
One clarification heads off a lot of confusion: the census classifies people by country of birth, not by citizenship or by last country of residence. Someone born in Argentina may have lived in Spain before moving here, and someone born in the United States may well hold Uruguayan citizenship.
Leading countries of birth
| Rank | Country of birth | People | % of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Argentina | 31.894 | 29,6 % |
| 2 | Venezuela | 16.115 | 15,0 % |
| 3 | Cuba | 11.838 | 11,0 % |
| 4 | Brazil | 10.731 | 10,0 % |
| 5 | Spain | 8.187 | 7,6 % |
| 6 | United States | 3.085 | 2,9 % |
| — | Other countries | 23.269 | 21,6 % |
| — | Country of birth not reported | 2.459 | 2,3 % |
| Total | 107.578 | 100 % |
Argentina accounts for nearly 30 % of the total — roughly twice as many residents as Venezuela.
Who arrived between 2012 and 2023
Of the foreign-born people living here in 2023, 56.906 reported having arrived between 2012 and 2023.
| Rank | Country of birth | Arrived 2012–2023 | % of cohort |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Venezuela | 15.230 | 26,8 % |
| 2 | Argentina | 12.186 | 21,4 % |
| 3 | Cuba | 11.338 | 19,9 % |
| 4 | Brazil | 3.513 | 6,2 % |
| 5 | Spain | 1.591 | 2,8 % |
| 6 | United States | 1.151 | 2,0 % |
| — | Other countries | 11.728 | 20,6 % |
| — | Country not reported | 169 | 0,3 % |
| Total | 56.906 | 100 % |
Venezuela, Argentina and Cuba together make up 68,1 % of this cohort.
And here's a fact that cuts against much of the prevailing narrative: Spain and the United States combined account for 2.742 people, or 4,8 % of recent arrivals. The data simply doesn't support the notion that migration to Uruguay comes mainly from Europe or the US. That community does exist, it's visible in certain neighborhoods and it has real purchasing power — but it isn't the bulk of the story.
Venezuela and Cuba: two communities built in the last decade
What share of each group reported arriving between 2012 and 2023:
| Country of birth | Total residents | Arrived 2012–2023 | % of group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cuba | 11.838 | 11.338 | 95,8 % |
| Venezuela | 16.115 | 15.230 | 94,5 % |
| Argentina | 31.894 | 12.186 | 38,2 % |
| United States | 3.085 | 1.151 | 37,3 % |
| Brazil | 10.731 | 3.513 | 32,7 % |
| Spain | 8.187 | 1.591 | 19,4 % |
The Cuban- and Venezuelan-born populations counted in Uruguay are almost entirely recent: roughly 95 % arrived from 2012 onward.
The Spanish-born population, by contrast, has deep historical roots — only 19,4 % arrived during that window.
These shares are not growth rates, and they say nothing about how many people arrived and later left.
The full table
| Country of birth | Before 2000 | 2000–2011 | 2012–2023 | Year not reported | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 11.966 | 5.038 | 12.186 | 2.704 | 31.894 |
| Brazil | 4.038 | 1.574 | 3.513 | 1.606 | 10.731 |
| Cuba | 157 | 142 | 11.338 | 201 | 11.838 |
| Spain | 4.718 | 1.249 | 1.591 | 629 | 8.187 |
| United States | 448 | 1.317 | 1.151 | 169 | 3.085 |
| Venezuela | 404 | 237 | 15.230 | 244 | 16.115 |
| Other countries | 6.828 | 3.420 | 11.728 | 1.293 | 23.269 |
| Country not reported | 669 | 129 | 169 | 1.492 | 2.459 |
| Total | 29.228 | 13.106 | 56.906 | 8.338 | 107.578 |
Source: INE (Uruguay's national statistics institute), Censo 2023, table 4.
Two caveats worth keeping in mind: the year of arrival is listed as not reported for 8.338 people (7,8 % of the total), and country of birth is unknown for 2.459 (2,3 %).
On top of that, the "before 2000" column covers a far longer stretch of time than the others. Its figures shouldn't be compared directly with the rest, and they shouldn't be used to calculate growth rates — a mistake that shows up constantly in coverage citing this table.
Has immigration risen since 2011?
INE notes that the 2011 census recorded roughly 24.500 foreign-born people who had arrived in the previous ten years. The Censo 2023 counted close to 56.900 in its recent cohort.
The stock of recent immigrants still living in the country grew substantially. But both figures are census snapshots: they don't represent border entries, and they exclude anyone who arrived and had already left by the time each census was taken. The time windows aren't identical either.
Immigration, emigration and net migration
Between 2011 and 2023 the population grew by 86.815 personas, against natural growth of 94.608. The gap comes to −7.793.
INE calls this the "implied net migration balance" and stresses that it's an indirect measure, not a purpose-built estimate of international migration. Given how small the figure is and how hard migration is to measure, the agency adopted a working assumption of zero net migration for 2011–2023 in its projections.
That doesn't mean nobody came or went. It means that, with the information available, the net balance couldn't be pinned down with enough precision.
For added context on Uruguayan emigration: the number of Uruguayan-born people living in Spain went from 80.136 en 2012 a 86.620 en 2023, while Argentine censuses recorded 116.592 en 2010 y 95.384 en 2022.
Those swings aren't direct migration flows: returns, deaths, moves to third countries and methodological differences between registries all play a part.
Residence permits granted are not the same as arrivals
Uruguay does publish figures on residence permits granted. According to the Anuario Estadístico Nacional (the national statistical yearbook):
| Year | Residence permits granted |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 6.310 |
| 2023 | 9.689 |
| 2024 | 16.870 |
They can be broken down by continent and country of origin.
But a permit granted doesn't equal an arrival that year: the decision may apply to someone who had already been living here for years, and administrative changes or special programs can inflate the number of applications processed in any given year.
That's why it's a mistake to blend census counts of foreign-born residents, residence permits granted, border entries and exits, actual immigrants and asylum applications. Each indicator measures something different, and much of the public confusion comes from adding them together.
Questions this table can't answer
It can't tell you how many people actually entered each year, how many arrived and then left again, how long they plan to stay, what their last country of residence was, what citizenship they hold today, how many homes they bought or rented, which neighborhoods they settled in, or what their real-estate budget looks like.
The Censo 2023 microdata does allow for analysis of education, employment, household and geographic variables — provided you compare equivalent universes and control for age, year of arrival and data availability.
When something hasn't been published, you can request it from the relevant agency under the Ley 18.381, Uruguay's freedom-of-information law. We cover that in which migration data Uruguay doesn't publish.
Three conclusions the data does support
- Argentina remains the leading country of birth, with 31.894 residents.
- Venezuela leads the 2012–2023 cohort, with 15.230.
- Cuba and Venezuela are the most recently formed communities: roughly 95 % arrived from 2012 onward.
Frequently asked questions
Which country of birth is most common among immigrant residents?
Argentina: 31.894 residents were born there.
Which country leads among those who arrived from 2012 onward?
Venezuela, with 15.230.
How many foreign-born people arrived between 2012 and 2023?
The census counted 56.906 who were living here and reported arriving during that period. It doesn't include those who came and left beforehand.
How many US-born people live in Uruguay?
3.085 were counted; 1.151 reported arriving between 2012 and 2023.
And Spanish-born?
8.187 in total; 1.591 arrived during that period.
Does this data show which nationalities buy the most property?
No. The census measures resident population and country of birth; it doesn't publish real-estate transactions by nationality.
Why do different rankings show up online?
Because some compare the total stock and others the recent cohort. And because country of birth, citizenship, residence permits granted and border movements get mixed together all the time.
Where you come from doesn't change the buying process, but it does shape which areas make sense for you. Our services for foreign buyers include that analysis, and our property listings let you compare options side by side.
Keep reading
- How many foreigners really live in Uruguay?
- Which migration data Uruguay doesn't publish
- Moving to Uruguay from abroad: a practical guide
- Uruguay vs. Argentina: predictability, taxes and the cost of crossing
- Why do some foreigners leave within two years?
Sources
- INE — Censo 2023: estimated population, intercensal growth and structure by sex and age (tables 3, 4 and 5)
- INE — official Censo 2023 portal
- INE — residence permits granted by year, continent and country (Anuario Estadístico Nacional)
- Dirección Nacional de Migración (Uruguay's national immigration office) — Statistical Yearbook 2025
- INDEC (Argentina's national statistics institute) — Migration, 2022 Census
- IMPO — Ley 18.381 on access to public information
Information reviewed on August 1, 2026. Migration statistics should always be read in light of the definitions and time periods each source uses.