British Uruguayans

This article is about Uruguayan people of British descent. For British people of Uruguayan descent, see Uruguayans in the United Kingdom.

British Uruguayans
  • Británico-uruguayos
  • British-uruguayans
Holy Trinity Church, known locally as Templo Inglés, built in 1844 to cater to the British community
Total population
around 4,500 (with British ancestry) (As of 2013)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Throughout Uruguay. Principally in the south and in the west.
Languages
Rioplatense Spanish and English
Religion
Roman Catholicism, Protestantism
Related ethnic groups
English Argentine
Part of a series of articles on
British Latin Americans
Groups
Languages

British Uruguayans (sometimes known as Anglo-Uruguayans) are British nationals residing permanently in Uruguay or Uruguayan citizens claiming British heritage. Unlike other waves of immigration to Uruguay from Europe, British immigration to Uruguay has historically been small, especially when compared to the influxes of Spanish and Italian immigrants. Like their counterparts in Argentina, British immigrants tended to be skilled workers, ranchers, businessmen and bureaucrats rather than those escaping poverty in their homeland.[a]

The British in Uruguay were highly influential during the height of the Victorian era, to the extent that Uruguay came to be described as an informal colony. They were intimately involved with the industrialisation of the Uruguayan economy and in the promotion of competitive sports such as rugby, cricket, and most notably, football. However, dissatisfaction with the performance of British monopolies like the Central Uruguay Railway and the Montevideo Waterworks Company found a popular outlet in the ideology of Batllismo; this, combined with Britain's decline as a great power, gradually eroded the sway that British governments had traditionally enjoyed in Uruguay.

Consequently, British immigration declined from an already low base, and the existing British community steadily integrated with the wider population as the 20th century progressed. In more recent years, Uruguay has become an increasingly popular destination for British expats due to its "European feel", low taxes and cheap healthcare.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Observador2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Weil, Thomas E. (1971). Area Handbook for Uruguay. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 58.
  3. ^ Harper, Justin (3 May 2012). "British expats flock to cheap and cheerful Uruguay". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2022.


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