Uruguay: Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2024, Uruguay's net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) fell 47.73 billion on 2023 (from 60.8 billion to 13.07 billion).

Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +3.49 billion and a typical year strayed about 34.02 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 70.19 billion in 2023 and the biggest yearly fall was 58.84 billion in 2016. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 12% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2024, Uruguay had the 30th highest value of the 57 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

• North Macedonia — 26th of 57: 22 billion
• Albania — 27th of 57: 18.14 billion
• Paraguay — 28th of 57: 16.97 billion
• Spain — 30th of 57: 10.3 billion
• Switzerland — 31st of 57: 8.68 billion
• Belarus — 32nd of 57: 6.64 billion

What this measures

Net acquisition of government financial assets includes domestic and foreign financial claims, SDRs, and gold bullion held by monetary authorities as a reserve asset. The net acquisition of financial assets should be offset by the net incurrence of liabilities. 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 30 values

Net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Argentina — 21.57 trillion (2024)
• Bahamas, The — 230.38 million (2024)
• Barbados — 289.04 million (2016)
• Brazil — 179.8 billion (2024)
• Chile — -890.95 billion (2024)
• Colombia — 18.85 trillion (2024)
• Dominican Republic — -16.58 billion (2024)
• Ecuador — 2.56 billion (2022)
• El Salvador — 141.5 million (2024)
• Guatemala

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

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Questions people ask

What is Uruguay's net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU)?

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

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 4,583% from 279 million in 1990 (11.98% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 60.8 billion in 2023 and the lowest -30.24 billion in 2019.

How does Uruguay rank?

30th highest of 57 economies with data for 2024.

Is the latest change in net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) unusual for Uruguay?

In 2024, Uruguay's net acquisition of financial assets (current LCU) fell 47.73 billion on 2023 (from 60.8 billion to 13.07 billion). Across the 26 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2023), the average change was +3.49 billion and a typical year strayed about 34.02 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.AST.TOTL.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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