Uruguay: cities by population
Uruguay has a population of 3,382,537 (UN estimate, 2026), with Montevideo as its capital. The 50 largest of its 153 recorded towns and cities, ranked.
+4%
since 2000 (3,266,206)
-4%
projected by 2050 (3,254,354)
20
people per km²
Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.
Largest cities in Uruguay
| # | Place | Region | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montevideo | Montevideo Department | 1,270,737 |
| 2 | Salto | Salto Department | 114,084 |
| 3 | Maldonado | Maldonado | 102,000 |
| 4 | Rivera | Rivera Department | 84,775 |
| 5 | Paysandú | Paysandú Department | 81,550 |
| 6 | Las Piedras | Canelones | 69,682 |
| 7 | Tacuarembó | Tacuarembó Department | 60,586 |
| 8 | Melo | Cerro Largo | 56,013 |
| 9 | Artigas | Artigas | 43,897 |
| 10 | Mercedes | Soriano | 43,543 |
| 11 | Durazno | Durazno Department | 40,279 |
| 12 | Minas | Lavalleja | 38,645 |
| 13 | Florida | Florida | 36,471 |
| 14 | San José de Mayo | San José Department | 35,883 |
| 15 | Colonia del Sacramento | Colonia | 32,164 |
| 16 | Barros Blancos | Canelones | 31,650 |
| 17 | San Carlos | Maldonado | 27,471 |
| 18 | Rocha | Rocha Department | 26,784 |
| 19 | Fray Bentos | Río Negro Department | 26,297 |
| 20 | Treinta y Tres | Treinta y Tres Department | 25,890 |
| 21 | Canelones | Canelones | 24,185 |
| 22 | Pando | Canelones | 24,047 |
| 23 | Trinidad | Flores Department | 22,897 |
| 24 | La Paz | Canelones | 19,913 |
| 25 | Carmelo | Colonia | 18,041 |
| 26 | Delta del Tigre | San José Department | 17,973 |
| 27 | Dolores | Soriano | 17,174 |
| 28 | Young | Río Negro Department | 16,756 |
| 29 | Santa Lucía | Canelones | 16,438 |
| 30 | Progreso | Canelones | 16,244 |
| 31 | Paso de Carrasco | Canelones | 15,393 |
| 32 | Río Branco | Cerro Largo | 14,604 |
| 33 | Paso de los Toros | Tacuarembó Department | 12,985 |
| 34 | Juan L. Lacaze | Colonia | 12,816 |
| 35 | Bella Unión | Artigas | 12,200 |
| 36 | Libertad | San José Department | 10,166 |
| 37 | Rosario | Colonia | 10,085 |
| 38 | Nueva Helvecia | Colonia | 10,054 |
| 39 | Nueva Palmira | Colonia | 9,857 |
| 40 | Chui | Rocha Department | 9,675 |
| 41 | Punta del Este | Maldonado | 9,277 |
| 42 | Colonia Nicolich | Canelones | 8,902 |
| 43 | Salinas | Canelones | 8,626 |
| 44 | Piriápolis | Maldonado | 7,968 |
| 45 | Castillos | Rocha Department | 7,541 |
| 46 | Tranqueras | Rivera Department | 7,235 |
| 47 | Sarandí del Yi | Durazno Department | 7,176 |
| 48 | San Ramón | Canelones | 7,133 |
| 49 | Lascano | Rocha Department | 6,976 |
| 50 | Tarariras | Colonia | 6,632 |
Twenty years earlier: Uruguay in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 3,251,269.
Common questions
What is the population of Uruguay?
Uruguay has a population of 3,382,537, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 3,254,354 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Uruguay?
Montevideo.