Editing Economy of Uruguay (section)

==Sectors==

===Agriculture, textiles and leather===
{{main|Agriculture in Uruguay}}
Throughout Uruguay's history, their strongest exporting industries have been beef and wool. In the case of beef exports, they have been boosted since Uruguay joined the [[Mercosur]] agreement in 1991 and the country has been able trade with more distant markets, such as Japan. In 2018, it produced 589 thousand tons of beef.<ref>[http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QL Uruguay production in 2018, by FAO]</ref> In the case of wool exports, they have not been doing so well in recent years suffering from other competitors in the market like New Zealand and the fluctuations of its demand during the [[Great Recession|2008 recession]] in the developed world.

As timber refining is being kept within the country, forestry has become a growth industry in recent years. In 2018, the country produced 1.36 million tons of [[rice]], 1.33 million tons of [[soy]], 816 thousand tons of [[maize]], 637 thousand tons of [[barley]], 440 thousand tons of [[wheat]], 350 thousand tons of [[sugar cane]], 106 thousand tons of [[Orange (fruit)|orange]], 104 thousand tons of [[grape]], 90 thousand tons of [[rapeseed]], 87 thousand tons of [[potato]], 76 thousand tons of [[sorghum]], 71 thousand tons of [[tangerine]], 52 thousand tons of [[oats]], 48 thousand tons of [[apple]], in addition to smaller yields of other agricultural products.<ref>[http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC/ Uruguay production in 2018, by FAO]</ref>

[[Liebig Extract of Meat Company]] ran a very large and influential beef extract factory in [[Fray Bentos]] for 100 years.

=== Energy ===
{{excerpt|Energy in Uruguay}}

===Software===

During the last decades the software industry has developed considerably. Many start-ups have been very successful, such is the case of [[PedidosYa]] and [[DLocal]]. Uruguay also exports software; the similar geographic longitude to that of the United States makes it attractive for companies to outsource software development to Uruguayan companies. Other notable Uruguayan software enterprises are: Genexus, Códigos del Sur, Overactive.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://landing.simetrik.com/blog/eng/pedidosya-success-case | title=Discover PedidosYa's success story }}</ref>

===Mining===
{{Main|Mineral industry of Uruguay}}
Although this is a sector that does not make substantial contributions to the country's economy, in recent years there has been some activity in gold and cement production, and also in the extraction of granite.

[[Artigas Department]] is well known for its [[amethyst]] and [[agate]] [[quartz]] varieties mining. During 2010s 20 thousand tons of minerals were extracted with a value of 9 million of US dollars, exported to Germany, United States, Brazil and China.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Cernuischi|first1=F.|last2=González|first2=F.|last3=Morales Demarco|first3=M.|last4=Marmisolle|first4=J.|last5=Conti|first5=B.|last6=Bossi|first6=J.|date=2018|title=Breve historia de la exploración y explotación de recursos minerales y energéticos en Uruguay y perspectivas a futuro|language=es|journal=Revista de la Sociedad Uruguaya de Geología|volume=21|publisher=Sociedad Uruguaya de Geología|url=https://www.sociedadgeologiauy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/BREVE-HISTORIA-DE-LA-EXPLORACIO%CC%81N-Y-EXPLOTACIO%CC%81N-DE-RECURSOS-MINERALES-Y-ENERGE%CC%81TICOS-EN-URUGUAY-Y-PERSPECTIVAS-A-FUTURO.pdf|access-date=23 July 2022}}</ref>

===Plastics===

In 2011, plastics were the second-largest non-agricultural industrial export of the country.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=2019-02-22 |title=Uruguay |url=https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2019/065/002.2019.issue-065-en.xml |journal=IMF Staff Country Reports |language=en-US |volume=19 |issue=65 |pages=1 |doi=10.5089/9781484399958.002 |issn=1934-7685}}</ref>

===Telecommunications===

Despite having poor levels of investment in the fixed-line sector, the small size of Uruguay's population has enabled them to attain one of the highest telecommunication density levels in South America and reach a 100% digitalization of main lines. Although the [[Telecommunications in Uruguay|telecommunications sector]] has been under a [[state monopoly]] for some years, provisions have been made to introduce liberalization and to allow for the entry of more firms into the cellular sector.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}

===Travel and tourism===
{{main|Tourism in Uruguay}}
In 2013, travel and tourism accounted for 9.4% of the country's GDP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://knoema.com/atlas/Uruguay/topics/Tourism/Travel-and-Tourism-Total-Contribution-to-GDP/Total-Contribution-to-GDP-percent-share|title=Uruguay - Travel & Tourism Total Contribution to GDP - Total Contribution to GDP - % share|work=Knoema|access-date=11 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304034124/http://knoema.com/atlas/Uruguay/topics/Tourism/Travel-and-Tourism-Total-Contribution-to-GDP/Total-Contribution-to-GDP-percent-share|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Their tourist industry is mainly characterized for attracting visitors from neighboring countries. Currently Uruguay's major attraction is the interior, particularly located in the region around Punta del Este.<ref>"Country Reports: Uruguay." Uruguay Country Monitor (2014): 16. Business Source Premier. Web. 7 Dec. 2014.</ref>