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OU’s Quick Guide to… Religion in Uruguay

In Uruguay a respect for all religions has been in place for years. In the early 20th century, Uruguay separated church and state and opened their arms to peoples of all creeds, decreeing that no one would “Lord” it over another. This is one of the most tolerant countries in the world with respect to religious beliefs. For years now, Uruguayans have even referred to Easter Week as Tourism Week.

So although all religions are respected, there is no official one, nor is there a religious presence in the state schools here. There is however a number of private Catholic schools throughout the country.

The most recent statistics show that just under half of the population claim to be Roman Catholics. Almost a third believe in God without defining themselves to be of any specific religion. Around 11% are Protestant. 2.5% are Mormons, and the final 1.5% is made up of various “Afro” religions, Jewish, and “Other”. The majority of Uruguayans, however, do not practice their religion.

The Jewish population make up 0.3% of the overall population and live primarily in the capital, Montevideo. There are around 12 synagogues in total in Uruguay (they are listed at http://www.mavensearch.com/synagogues/C3444).

There is a very small minority of Muslims (0.01%) in Uruguay. In April 2008, the Egyptian Islamic Center in Montevideo became the first mosque in the country. There is also an Islamic center in Canelones.            

Since the separation of church and state there haven’t been any instances of religiously motivated conflict.