Uruguayan Americans
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(Uruguayan  ) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Florida, California, New York, Texas | |
| Languages | |
| American English, Spanish, Italian, Portuñol | |
| Religion | |
| Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Italians, Spaniards, French, Germans, Basques |
(Uruguayan
66,789
Uruguayan Americans (Spanish: uruguayo-americanos, norteamericanos de origen uruguayo or estadounidenses de origen uruguayo) are Americans of Uruguayan ancestry or birth. The American Community Survey of 2006 estimated the Uruguayan American population to number 50,538.
Similar to neighboring country Argentina, Uruguay took in many immigrants from Europe beginning in the late 19th century and lasting until the mid 20th century. As it stands, approximately 93% of Uruguay's population is of European descent with Italians, Spaniards, French, and Germans being among the most populous groups to have settled in the country. Because of this, many Uruguayan Americans identify both with their nationality and their family's country of origin.
The history of Uruguayan emigration to the United States is very recent. Before 1960, the Uruguayan living conditions were favorable, with many job opportunities, good education and a good healthcare system. The few Uruguayans that left the country migrated to other Hispanic countries such as Argentina. For this reason the Uruguayan emigration to the United States was low during that period.
After 1960, welfare in the life of Uruguay fell: This was due to the emergence of serious economic and political problems after World War II, particularly money crises and unemployment during the decades of the 1960s and 1970s. Moreover, Uruguay was ruled by an oppressive military regime for approximately a decade since 1973. All this led to a major Uruguayan emigration, which included large numbers of well-educated professionals and the young. This migration, also, contributed to a social security crisis, as the population aged and young working people migrated to other countries. This grew the burden on the country's financial resources.
Of the Uruguayan immigrants from 1963 to 1975, 17.7 percent of them were aged 14 years or younger. While 68 percent of them were between the ages of 15 and 39, only 14.3 percent were over 40 years old. The continued unemployment problem of the late 1980s developed yet another impetus for the youth of Uruguay to seek employment and new lives in other countries. Some of them went to the United States, but the majority of Uruguayan emigrants continued to migrate to Argentina.
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Wikipedia