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Graph 1: Distribution of the swine inventory in Uruguay in 2024. Graph by the Department of Economics and Sustainability, Pig333 Latin America with data from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries of Uruguay.
At the national level, the census recorded a total inventory of 113,580 heads (hd). Of this volume, the largest category corresponds to finishing pigs with 36,117 hd (31.8%), followed closely by piglets with 34,049 animals (30.0%), while breeding sows totaled 19,923 hd (17.5%).
The sector operates through 3,088 production units reporting pigs, but only 1,032 of these are commercial facilities, grouping 94,701 hd. A key finding of the census is the polarization of the segment: while 1,994 facilities have fewer than 10 pigs (with combined total of just 7,353 hd), there are 36 farms with more than 300 animals that concentrate a total of 66,518 pigs. In fact, 34 of these large farms account for 69.2% of all head recorded in commercial facilities.
Pigs are the main source of income for 258 production units across the country. Geographically, the Canelones region is the core of the industry, with 91 commercial facilities reporting pigs as their main source of income, followed by Montevideo with 35.
Although these 258 farms use a very small portion of the national territory (just 5,255 hectares in total, with an average of 20 hectares per farm), they generate a notable labor impact per unit of area. The industry employs 615 permanent workers, representing an intensity of 117 workers per 1,000 hectares, and generates more than 123,000 workdays per year.
To understand the scale of swine production, the census report allows a clear comparison with other livestock species in Uruguay:
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Cattle: The historical and dominant pilar of national livestock production, with 11,080,167 hd distributed across 31,109 facilities, representing the main source of income for more than 27,500 producers (adding beef and milk).
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Poultry: Leading intensive production with 6,348,952 birds and the main income source for 364 establishments.
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Sheep: Totaling 5,305,689 hd across 18,654 facilities, supporting the main income source of 1,716 producers.
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Equines: Significantly outnumber pigs, with 370,020 hd across 23,777 facilities in the country.
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Swine: With 113,580 hd, the swine segment remains far smaller in volume compared to cattle and sheep, operating within a highly closed production system.
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Goats: The only species with lower volumes than pigs, totaling 9,540 hd across 433 farms.
The 2024 Agricultural Census confirms that swine production in Uruguay is a niche activity compared to major livestock industries, highly specialized and concentrated in few hands, with very limited land use but strong labor demand in commercial operations.
March 4th, 2026 | Department of Economics and Sustainability, Pig 333 Latin America
Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries of Uruguay | https://www.gub.uy/ministerio-ganaderia-agricultura-pesca
