Mining by country

Mining in Uruguay

Mining in Uruguay: the public figures we hold so far. The World Bank puts mineral rents close to zero (2021) and ores and metals at 0.3% of merchandise exports (2024). No world production share, mine or listed company project is recorded here yet.

Mineral rents0%of GDP, 2021. Higher than 60% of countries.
Ores and metals0.3%of merchandise exports, 2024.
Governance, World Bank WGI 2025
  • Rule of law+0.94above 80% of countries
  • Political stability+1.30above 93% of countries
  • Regulatory quality+0.55above 73% of countries
  • Control of corruption+1.56above 92% of countries
Estimates from −2.5 to +2.5; the bar sits at the country's score.

Mining in Uruguay at a glance

Mining in GDP0.2%2019. Mining and quarrying about 0.2 per cent of GDP in 2019 (USGS).Source: USGS
Mining law
Mining Code (Law 15.242) (1982). Law 15.242 of 8 January 1982, updated 28 February 2014; large-scale mining is regulated by Law 19.126 of 11 September 2013. Source: USGS
State mining company
Administracion Nacional de Combustibles, Alcohol y Portland (ANCAP). State holding company created by Law 8.764 of 15 October 1931; it holds 99.8 per cent of Cementos del Plata, which runs cement plants at Minas and Paysandu. Source: USGS

Official sitesMining ministry

Mining employment from the ILO usually counts all of mining and quarrying, often with oil and gas; national shares of GDP and exports are as each source defines them.

History of mining in Uruguay

What the ground holds. cement, limestone, gold (San Gregorio, closed), natural gemstones and refined petroleum products. Source: USGS

How prospectors changed the worldThe full mining timeline

Mining elsewhere in South America

BrazilPeruChileArgentinaBoliviaGuyanaSurinameColombiaEcuadorVenezuela

World shares: USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, latest year per mineral. Mineral rents, exports and governance: World Bank WDI and WGI. Trade: CEPII BACI. Projects: listed companies' announcements.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: The Big Hole by Rudolph Botha, CC BY-SA 3.0.