Uruguay - People
The US government estimates the total population at 3.3 million (July 2015 estimate). The population of the country is primarily of European origin, mainly Italian and Spanish, with various contributions as a result of an open-doors immigration policy. The predominance of the white race is almost absolute with a very reduced presence of black of African origin who arrived in the country in colonial times. The indigenous population who originally inhabited the region disappeared more than a century ago.
The average population density is 17.8 inh./km2. Although most of the Uruguayan territory is devoted to agriculture, 89% of its population live in urban areas. Montevideo's metropolitan area concentrates practically 42% of Uruguay's population. For the period 1985-1996, the annual rate of population growth was 0.6%, among the lowest for developing countries.
Uruguayans share a Spanish linguistic and cultural background, even though about one-quarter of the population is of Italian origin. Most are nominally Roman Catholic although the majority of Uruguayans do not actively practice a religion. Church and state are officially separated.
Despite its very high literacy rate and tradition of quality public education, Uruguay is currently experiencing a high dropout rate at the high school level and poor performance in the OECD’s Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) that have the potential to reduce the number of qualified workers available over the mid-term.
Uruguay is distinguished by its high literacy rate, large urban middle class, and relatively even income distribution. The average Uruguayan standard of living compares favorably with that of most other Latin Americans. Metropolitan Montevideo, with about 1.6 million inhabitants, is the only large city. The rest of the urban population lived in about 20 towns. During the past two decades, an estimated 500,000 Uruguayans have emigrated, principally to Argentina and Spain. Emigration to the United States also rose significantly. As a result of the low birth rate, high life expectancy, and relatively high rate of emigration of younger people, Uruguay's population is quite mature.
Despite the relative freedom of women, attitudes toward gender roles and sexuality remained traditionally stereotypical. The pattern of machismo was less pronounced than in much of Latin America, but males were expected to show "masculine" traits; "feminine" characteristics were seen as inferior. At social gatherings, women tended to congregate with other women, and men with men.
African-americans were so few, and slavery was so slightly connected with them in the Uruguayan mind, that some said there was scarcely a "color-line" in the 20th Century. The daughter of a former Uruguayan minister to Washington had always informed inquiring Americans that there were "no negroes" in Uruguay, and had only discovered her error upon her return with a sharpened color sense.
In early 20th Century Uruguay people were often called by nicknames of color, ample proof that there was no sensitiveness about the hue of the skin. These popular terms, usually preceded by the affectionate "Che" of southeastern South America, ran all the gamut of tints, — "Hola, Che morocha." "Diga, Che triguena!" "Como va, Che negrito?" It was a common experience of visiting Anglo-Saxons to hear themselves addressed by familiar persons as "Che rubio," literally "red-head," as a complimentary distinction from the universally black-haired natives.
By the end of the 20th century, the country's black minority, estimated at 6 percent of the population, continued to face societal discrimination. The Government lacked adequate statistics on blacks, which contributed to a lack of awareness that problems exist. The latest report (1993) put the number of black university graduates at 65, and black professionals at fewer than 50.
Blacks were practically unrepresented in the bureaucratic, political, and academic sectors of society. They lacked the social and political connections necessary for entry into these groups. In a February 1995 public opinion poll, more than three-quarters of the persons interviewed admitted that racial prejudice existed, and two-thirds of them named blacks as the group that faced most discrimination. The Government was working with local minority organizations to address this problem and invited the leading black minority organization to help prepare an official report on racial discrimination.
The average life expectancy at birth is 72.4 years, which is evidence of the acceptable levels reached in health and food development. In 1994 the households below poverty line amounted to 6%. Uruguay ranks 32nd in the Human Quality Index of the United Nations among a total of 174 nations, third in Latin America following Argentina and Costa Rica. The country's Income distribution is similar to that of Denmark.
By Latin American standards, Uruguay is a relatively egalitarian society with a large middle class. One factor that historically helped the country avoid social polarization was the broad provision of free public education by the state starting in the 1870s. Economic stagnation since the 1950s has reduced the opportunities for upward social mobility, but the incidence of extreme wealth and poverty still approximated the pattern of developed countries rather than that of developing countries.
Poverty, measured in terms of unsatisfied basic needs (UBN), has evolved from 17.7% in 1984 to 7.6% in 1995. The report on Economic and Social Progress in Latin America (IDB, 1995) states that Uruguay's social expenditure is the highest of the region, and that it represents 21% of the GNP. The social security system covers 66% of the population economically active.
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