Social protection in Uruguay

In recent decades, the social security system in Uruguay has experienced a series of social reforms, focusing primarily on the provision of protection to more vulnerable segments of the population. The reforms carried out in the social field had as primary result the creation of a social protection system where universal policies co-exist with targeted policies aimed primarily at lower-income population, providing benefits to the population against various contingencies and situations throughout the lifecycle.

Uruguay stands out in the region for having a comprehensive social protection system. It initially covered old age risks, but gradually, especially during the twentieth century, its coverage was expanded to other contigencies. Currently, according to statistics provided by the Social Insurance Bank, the social protection system covers 77% of the economically active population and 97% of adults over 65 years old receive a pension. In addition, it should be mentioned the education programme on social security, which is being developed in the country since 2007 and seeks to educate and encourage public participation in the social protection system.

The main challenges for Uruguay in terms of the social protection system are, on the one hand, to achieve a greater articulation of the benefits offered by the social protection system to people at different stages of life and, on the other hand, to increase social protection coverage to the entire population and especially to those in greatest vulnerability, improving inter-generational equity and promoting social justice and economic development. To achieve this, the momentum of a Social Protection Floor can be crucial.

This overview is extracted from the               Global Extension of Social Security platform (GESS) and provided courtesy of the ILO Social Security Department.