Uruguay: Compensation of employees (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Uruguay's compensation of employees (current LCU) rose 13.3% on 2023 (from 249.22 billion to 282.34 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was +18.1% and a typical year strayed about 21.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 256.9% in 1973 and the biggest yearly fall was 24.7% in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is upward, about 14.79 billion a year. A straight line explains 80% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 312.76 billion for 2027. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2022 to 2024 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 11.49 billion, against 46.6 billion for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2024, Uruguay had the 30th highest value of the 89 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Uruguay in the 2024 ranking

• South Africa — 26th of 89: 335.09 billion
• Czechia — 27th of 89: 326.16 billion
• Norway — 28th of 89: 285.38 billion
• France — 30th of 89: 247.36 billion
• Brazil — 31st of 89: 240.78 billion
• Mozambique — 32nd of 89: 210.23 billion

What this measures

Compensation of employees is defined as the total remuneration, in cash or in kind, payable by an enterprise to an employee in return for work done by the latter during the accounting period. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 53 values

Compensation of employees (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 13.07 trillion (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 843.34 million (2024)
• Barbados — 807.1 million (2016)
• Belize — 530.42 million (2017)
• Brazil — 240.78 billion (2024)
• Chile — 15.2 trillion (2024)
• Colombia — 59.35 trillion (2024)
• Costa Rica — 5.09 trillion (2024)
• Dominican Republic — 453.52 billion (2024)
• Ecuador — 10.1 billion (2022)

More public sector data for Uruguay

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.95 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 80.38 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.28% (2025)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 227.93 billion (2024)
• Grants and other revenue (% of revenue) — 19.49% (2024)
• Social contributions (current LCU) — 350.48 billion (2024)
• Social contributions (% of revenue) — 29.96% (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (current LCU) — 1.01 trillion (2024)
• Revenue, excluding grants (% of GDP) — 30.6% (2024)
• Taxes on goods and services (current LCU)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Uruguay's compensation of employees (current LCU)?

282.34 billion in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1972?

It is up 553.61 million% from 51,000 in 1972 (34.8% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 282.34 billion in 2024 and the lowest 51,000 in 1972.

How does Uruguay rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.XPN.COMP.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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