Answer
About 1.3 million people live in the Montevideo department itself, and the higher figure usually refers to the expanded metropolitan area and the surrounding areas of Canelones. Therefore, the answer depends on whether only the administrative boundaries of the capital or the entire urban area are considered.
Montevideo concentrates a significant portion of the country's population, jobs, universities, and specialized services. At the same time, population density is uneven: coastal, central, and peripheral areas offer very different urban experiences.
For the latest figure, use the most recent census from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística and check the geographic definition of the metric. When choosing a place to live, a city's population matters less than transport, infrastructure, and safety in a particular barrio.