Uruguay: dairy sector
This page contains data regarding key components of the Uruguay dairy industry over a given time period.
| URUGUAY: DAIRY SECTOR | ||||||||||
| x 1.000 ton | ||||||||||
| RAW MATERIAL AREA | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Number of cows ('000) | 682 | 693 | 782 | |||||||
| Milk production ('000) | 2.287 | 2.177 | 2.269 | |||||||
| Deliveries to dairies (Mil Lt) | 2.089 | 2.114 | 2.039 | 2.210 | 294 | 315 | +7.08% | Jan-Feb 2026 | ||
| Farm-gate prices of raw milk (€ per 100 lt) | 39,63 | 38,21 | 36,80 | 37,96 | 39,90 | 35,89 | -10.05% | Jan-Feb 2026 | ||
| ± % Over the same period of the previous year | - | -3.59% | -3.69% | +3.16% | ||||||
| DAIRY PRODUCTION | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Butter (ton) | 20.889 | 15.264 | ||||||||
| Butter oil (ton) | 761 | 1.213 | ||||||||
| Cheese (ton) | 56.517 | 64.636 | ||||||||
| Hard cheese (ton) | 3.169 | 4.311 | ||||||||
| Semi-hard cheese (ton) | 19.407 | 18.192 | ||||||||
| white cheese (ton) | 18.267 | 25.817 | ||||||||
| Processed cheese (ton) | 14.490 | 14.560 | ||||||||
| Grated and powdered (ton) | 1.184 | 1.166 | ||||||||
| WMP (ton) | 140.882 | 166.129 | ||||||||
| SMP (ton) | 27.634 | 12.898 | ||||||||
| Fluid Milk (Mil. Lt) | 209.500 | 247.000 | ||||||||
| Pasteurized and packaged milk (Mil. Lt) | 114.600 | 144.000 | ||||||||
| Packed whole milk (Mil. Lt) | 22.000 | 28.000 | ||||||||
| Whole UHT milk in box (Mil. Lt) | 26.600 | 24.000 | ||||||||
| Packed skimmed milk (Mil. Lt) | 7.300 | 9.000 | ||||||||
| Skimmed UHT milk in box (Mil. Lt) | 16.400 | 17.000 | ||||||||
| Flavored milk (Mil. Lt) | 1.000 | 1.000 | ||||||||
| Chocolate milk (Mil. Lt) | 21.900 | 24.000 | ||||||||
| Dulce de leche (ton) | 16.311 | 17.547 | ||||||||
| Custards and desserts (ton) | 2.631 | 3.295 | ||||||||
| Ice Cream (ton) | 8.873 | 8.373 | ||||||||
| Food preparation (ton) | 9.082 | 9.100 | ||||||||
| Buttermilk Powder (ton) | 780 | 3.604 | ||||||||
| Yogurt (mil. Lt) | 35.100 | 42.000 | ||||||||
| Serum Cheese Powder (ton) | 12.180 | 18.198 | ||||||||
| Fresh or unprocessed cream (ton) | 5.442 | 4.647 | ||||||||
| EXPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Bulk and pack. milk | TOP importers | 3,0 | 2,8 | 5,1 | 9,5 | 1,4 | 1,9 | +34.52% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cream | TOP importers | 0,0 | 1,6 | 1,3 | 1,9 | 0,4 | 0,1 | -81.75% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Yogurt and buttermilk | TOP importers | 3,7 | 2,8 | 1,0 | 0,9 | 0,2 | 0,1 | -47.55% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Butter And Other Fats | TOP importers | 17 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 1,8 | 1,8 | -0.77% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| of which: | ||||||||||
| Anhydrous Milk Fat | TOP importers | 0,4 | 1,2 | 1,1 | 0,4 | 0,0 | 0,0 | -0.46% | Jan 2026 | |
| Cheese | TOP importers | 23 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 3,4 | 3,4 | -0.40% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| SMP | TOP importers | 27 | 12 | 19 | 17 | 3,3 | 2,5 | -23.25% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| WMP | TOP importers | 130 | 156 | 153 | 169 | 30 | 29 | -3.68% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Whey | TOP importers | 12 | 9,3 | 13 | 11 | 2,8 | 1,4 | -48.62% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| of which: | ||||||||||
| Whey also conc. and/or sugary | TOP importers | 12 | 9,3 | 13 | 11 | 2,8 | 1,4 | -48.62% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Lactose Pharmaceutical | TOP importers | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | - | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Lactose edible | TOP importers | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | +125.00% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) | TOP importers | 8,3 | 8,0 | 7,5 | 8,7 | 1,5 | 1,5 | -1.14% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| IMPORT | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026 | % | Period | ||
| Bulk and pack. milk | TOP exporters | 4,9 | 4,1 | 2,2 | 2,7 | 0,3 | 0,1 | -61.88% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cream | TOP exporters | 0,0 | 0,8 | 1,3 | 0,2 | 0,0 | 0,0 | +94.02% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Yogurt and buttermilk | TOP exporters | 2,2 | 1,0 | 1,4 | 1,7 | 0,2 | 0,4 | +64.07% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Condensed Milk | TOP exporters | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 1,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | +544.74% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Butter And Other Fats | TOP exporters | 1,3 | 0,9 | 0,6 | 1,0 | 0,1 | 0,2 | +16.82% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Cheese | TOP exporters | 3,7 | 4,5 | 3,9 | 4,1 | 0,7 | 1,0 | +40.29% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| SMP | TOP exporters | 0,6 | 0,6 | 0,7 | 0,6 | 0,2 | 0,1 | -70.35% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| WMP | TOP exporters | 0,0 | 0,2 | 0,7 | 0,4 | 0,1 | 0,0 | -85.31% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Whey | TOP exporters | 2,6 | 3,2 | 3,9 | 4,7 | 0,3 | 0,5 | +69.07% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| of which: | ||||||||||
| Whey also conc. and/or sugary | TOP exporters | 0,8 | 0,7 | 0,7 | 1,9 | 0,1 | 0,4 | +189.73% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Casein | TOP exporters | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,2 | 0,0 | 0,0 | -60.00% | Jan 2026 | |
| Caseinates | TOP exporters | 0,2 | 0,1 | 0,1 | 0,2 | 0,0 | 0,1 | +270.14% | Jan 2026 | |
| Lactose Pharmaceutical | TOP exporters | 8,5 | 9,0 | 14 | 8,1 | 0,6 | 3,2 | +434.24% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Lactose edible | TOP exporters | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | 0,0 | -50.00% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Infant milk formula | TOP exporters | 1,5 | 0,9 | 0,5 | 0,4 | 0,0 | 0,1 | +70.28% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| Fat-Filled Milk Powder (FFMP) | TOP exporters | 2,1 | 2,3 | 2,3 | 2,5 | 0,4 | 0,4 | +21.60% | Jan-Feb 2026 | |
| % Self-sufficiency | 277,4% | 317,7% | 308,1% | |||||||
| SOCIO-ECONOMIC INDICATORS | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2026(f) | % | Period | ||
| Population ('000) | 3.391 | 3.388 | 3.387 | |||||||
| GDP per capita (U.S. dollars) | 20.222 (e) | 21.677 (e) | ||||||||
| GDP per capita (€) * | 19.203(e) | 20.048(e) | ||||||||
* Per capita GDP in Euro is calculated by using the yearly average exchange rate
Source:
Raw material area:: INALE (Instituto Nacional de la Leche); Number of cows and Cow's milk production: FAO;
Dairy production: MGAP-DIEA;
Export and Import: IHS
GDP per capita: International Monetary Found
Population: FAO
Last update: 07-04-2026

























































































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