Other than a period of military dictatorship between 1973 and 1985, the country has the longest democratic history in South America. Today, politics are stable and dominated by two ideological camps: a center-right coalition comprising five parties, including the Partido Nacional and Partido Colorado and a center-left coalition called Frente Amplio. The country is relatively cohesive, with no religious, regional or ethnic oonflicts. Most of the population is of European descent or mixed. Minority groups include Afro-descendants, a Jewish community and Indigenous groups.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Uruguay went through a severe economic crisis, prompting structural reforms, such as banking system reorganization, improvements of financial regulation and accountability, and debt restructuring. Despite significant economic strengthening, nearly ten per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, which particularly affects children, adolescents, women and Afro-descendants.

Uruguay’s politics are currently shaped by debates over rising homicide rates, linked to increased drug trafficking. To address this, the government passed the Ley de Urgente Consideración (LUC) in 2020, expanding police power, introducing harsher sentencing, restricting protests and creating a Secretariat of State Strategic Intelligence—criticised given the country’s history of dictatorship. Despite concerns about civil liberties, a 2022 referendum on repealing the LUC narrowly resulted in its key provisions being upheld. Since then, human rights organizations have denounced worsening prison conditions, including peaking incarceration rates—the highest per capita in South America.

In recent years, the political landscape has been marked by corruption scandals, and the poor handling of a 2023 severe water crisis—ongoing since 2020— that triggered investigations, resignations, and widespread water shortages, severely affecting agriculture and eroding public trust in the ruling coalition. A media law has received significant criticism from international and local organizations for its potential harm to freedom of expression and possible increases in media ownership concentration. In 2024, general elections brought a new administration whose agenda included strengthened social inclusion and environmental policies.

Uruguay has strong laws to protect women and the LGTBQIA+ community. Homosexuality was decriminalized over two decades ago, followed by marriage and adoption rights for same-sex couples. Despite an advanced legal framework for women’s rights—including protections against violence and sexual and reproductive rights—gender-based violence remains widespread and women are disproportionally affected by poverty and alarming rates of incarceration. The latter is largely due to recent policies that harshly prosecute micro-trafficking—an activity primarily carried out by vulnerable women.

In the years ahead, it will be important to follow how the country controls its high homicide rates and the effects on Personal Integrity and Security, as well as how security policies may impact Gender Equality in light of rising female incarceration rates. Lastly, it will be important to watch how the new government addresses ongoing inequality—particularly affecting minors and other vulnerable groups—and its impacts on Social Group and Economic Equality. 

Updated June 2025