Answer
The population of Uruguay is approximately 3.4-3.5 million people. About 1.3 million people live in the Montevideo department, and a figure of about 1.5 million or more usually comes from a broader count of the metropolitan area. The exact values must be taken from the latest INE census.
The country has a high concentration of population around the capital and southern coast. This helps explain why Montevideo has many jobs, universities, government agencies, and specialist healthcare, while inland departments are far less densely populated.
For relocation, the national population matters less than the size of a particular city and labour market. Check the department’s population, age structure, transport, and seasonality: a resort town can feel like two different places in summer and winter.