uganda profile

UGANDA GENERAL INFORMATION

• Minimum (above sea level – Albert Nile): 620 m
• Maximum (above sea level – Mt Rwenzori): 5,110 m

• Uganda has a total area of 241,553 square kilometres (sq. kms), of which 37,552 sq. kms are open water.

• Forest area (Ha) has increased from 2.20 million hectares in 2010 to 2.48 million Hectares in 2021.

• Agriculture area has increased by 16% percent in the same period from 9.9 million Hectares in 2010 to 11.5 million hectares in 2021

• Uganda received a bi-modal rainfall pattern in 2023. November recorded the highest amount of rainfall with 227.7 mm, followed by March with 219.5 mm

• During 2023, Buginyanya ZARDI had the most rain days with an annual average of 144 days, followed by Bulindi ZARDI with an annual average of 136 days. Nabuin ZARDI had the least number of rain days with an annual average of 61 days, followed by Mbarara ZARDI with an annual average of 114 days

• During the FY2023/24, water supplied by both NWSC and DWD was 169.4 million cubic meters compared to 167.3 million cubic meters supplied in the FY2022/23, hence an increase of about 1.3 percent, which is less than the increment registered between FY2021/22 and FY2022/23 (2.1%).

• In FY2023/24, NWSC produced 175.5 million cubic meters of water, an increase of 2.8 percent from 170.8 million cubic meters in FY2022/23

• In FY2022324, 5.8 million cubic meters of water were supplied, registering a 2 percent increase

ECONOMIC STATISTICS

• Year on year real quarterly GDP grew by 5.8 percent in Q3 of 2025/26. In volume terms, the economy expanded from 38,728 billion shillings in Q3 2024/25 to 40,970 billion shillings in Q3 2025/26..

• The preliminary estimates of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) indicate that the Ugandan economy is estimated to grow by 6.4 percent in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025/26 compared to 6.3 percent recorded in FY 2024/25. In nominal terms, the size of the economy increased to Uganda shillings 250,447 billion in FY 2025/26 from 227,875 billion shillings in 2024/25.

• Average buying rate for Q3 2025/26: 3,602

• Average selling rate for Q3 2025/26: 3,618

• The overall Balance of Payments (BoP) was a deficit of United States Dollars 3.7 billion (preliminary) in 2024/25 following a previous deficit of United States Dollars 4.2 billion recorded in 2023/24

• The current account balance registered a deficit of United States Dollars 3.8 billion (preliminary) in FY2024/25 compared to a deficit of United States Dollars 4.3 million in FY2023/24

• The financial account showed a net borrowing position that increased to United States Dollars of 4.3 billion in 2024/25 (preliminary), from USD 2.6 billion recorded in 2023/24

• The weights are derived from the 2016/17 Supply and Use Tables (SUTs).
• The PPI for Manufacturing and Utilities encompasses three sectors based on the ISIC Rev. 4 framework
  1. The Manufacturing Sector (C),
  2. Electricity Generation (D), and
  3. Water Supply, Sewerage, Waste Management, and Remediation Activities (E).
• The Annual Headline Inflation as measured by the Producer Price Index of Manufacturing and Utilities for the 12 months to May 2026 increased to 1.0 percent compared to 0.9 percent registered in the year ended April 2026, see Table 1 below.
  This was mainly attributed to the Annual Inflation of the Manufacturing sector that increased to 0.9 percent in the year ended May 2026 compared to 0.8 percent registered in April 2026.
• The Annual Inflation for Utilities sector was registered at 1.8 percent in the year ended May 2026 compared to 1.0 percent registered in the year ended April 2026. The main driver to the Annual Inflation for Utilities sector was Electric power generation, transmission and distribution inflation which registered 3.0 percent in the year ended
  May 2026 compared to 1.3 percent registered in the year ended April 2026.

• The Monthly Headline Inflation as measured by PPI M&U for May 2026 was registered at 0.4 percent increase compared to 0.2 percent increase registered in the month of April 2026 as shown in Table 2 below. This was mainly attributed to the monthly inflation for Manufacturing sector which registered 0.3 percent increase in May 2026 the same rate registered in April 2026.
• The monthly inflation for Utilities sector was registered at 0.6 percent increase in May 2026, compared to 0.3 percent decrease registered in April 2026. This was mainly due to the monthly inflation for the Electric power generation, transmission and distribution which registered 1.3 percent increase in May 2026 compared to 0.4 percent decrease
  registered in April 2026.

View the Producer Price Index – Manufacturing & Utilities (PPI -M&U) May 2026 Press Release | View the Producer Price Index – Manufacturing & Utilities (PPI -M&U) May 2026 Excel Tables | View previous Producer Price Index publications | View Previous Excel Tables

• Construction Sector Inflation as measured by the Construction Input Price Index for Uganda for the 12 months to March 2026  was registered at 0.7 percent compared to 0.1 percent registered for the year ended February 2026 … View the Construction Input Price Index for March 2026 Press Release | View the Construction Input Price Index for March 2026 Excel Tables | View Previous Construction Input Price Index (CIPI) Press Releases |View Previous Construction Input Price Index (CIPI) Excel 

• General Government revenue for the FY 2023/24 was Uganda Shillings 34,188 billion compared to Uganda Shillings 28,675 billion collected in the FY 2022/23

• General Government expenditure (excluding arrears) for the FY 2023/24 was Uganda Shillings 38,286 billion compared to Uganda Shillings 39,328 billion in the FY 2022/23

• The total Local Government revenue was Uganda Shillings 4,975 billion of which Uganda Shillings 4,619 billion was revenue from the districts while Uganda Shillings
  357 billion was revenue from municipalities

• In the FY 2023/24, Local Government total expenditure reduced to Uganda Shillings 5,129.9 billion from Uganda Shillings 5,666.4 billion in the FY 2022/23

• The Net Foreign Assets (NFA), which shows a country’s level of
  indebtedness, decreased by 1.03 percent from Uganda Shilling 15,906 billion as of June 2022 to 15,742 billion shillings as of June 2023

• The Net Domestic Assets (NDA) grew by 12.7 percent from Uganda Shillings of 19,964 billion in June 2022 to Uganda Shillings of 22,508 billion in June 2023

• Money supply (M1) increased by 4.5 percent from Uganda Shillings of 15,894 billion in June 2022 to Uganda Shillings of 16,602 billion in June 2023

• M2 increased by 8.5 percent from Uganda Shillings of 26,333 billion in June 2022 to Uganda Shillings 28,561 billion in June 2023

• M3 increased by 9.96 percent from Uganda Shillings 32,619 billion in June 2021 to Uganda Shillings 35,869 billion in June 2022

• M3 increased by 6.7 percent from Uganda Shillings 35,870 billion shillings in June 2022 to Uganda Shillings 38,250 billion in June 2023

• The total assets of commercial banks increased by 8.2 percent from Uganda Shillings 44,873 billion as at June 2022 to Uganda Shillings 48,571 billion as at June 2023

• Total Commercial banks liabilities also increased by 8.2 percent from Uganda Shillings 44,873 billion as at June 2022 to Uganda Shillings 48,571 billion as at June 2023.

• Net capital increased from Uganda Shillings 6,848 billion in June 2022 to Uganda Shillings 8,067 billion in June 2023

• The Central Bank Rate (CBR) which is the rate at which commercial banks can borrow from the Central Bank, increased to 10 percent in June 2023 from 7.5 percent in June 2022

• Commercial bank rate increased to 14 percent in June 2023 from 11.5 percent in June 2022

• Gross insurance premium increased by 20.93 percent in the CY2023 from 501.6 billion shillings in the CY2022 to 606.6 billion shillings in CY2023

• Life group insurance increased by 25.5 percent in gross premium incomings in the same period, from Uganda Shillings 112 billion in CY2022 to 124.3 billion in the CY2023

• Medical insurance increased from Uganda Shillings 26.1 billion in the CY2022 to Uganda Shillings 30.8 billion in the CY2023

• Lake Albert maintains its position as the largest contributor of fish catch, accounting for 50.8 percent of the total fish catch production in the 2023

• In 2021, cattle and sheep population decreased slightly to 14.5 million from 14.9 million and 4.7 in 2020 to 4.4 in 2021 respectively

• Beef production in 2021 was estimated at 228,243 MT registering a 5.5 percent increase compared to 11.0 percent increase in 2019.

• The National Livestock Census (NLC) 2021, there was an increase in the production of milk to 3.7 billion litres from the 2.7 billion litres that were produced in 2020

• The index of production increased by 3 percent in 2022 from an average index of 316 in 2021 to an average index of 329.74 in 2022.

• The total installed capacity of electricity power sources increased by 34
  percent from 1,378.01 MW in 2022 to 1,846.75 MW in CY2023

• Electricity generated increased by 9.3 percent from 5,520.3 GWh in CY2022 to 6032.3 GWh. Electricity purchased by Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) from the generating companies increased by 9.8 percent from 5490 GWh in CY2022 to 6027.8 GWh in CY20223

• Total number of electricity consumers increased from 1,827,000 consumers in FY2021/22 to 1,980,649 consumers in the FY2022/23

• During 2023, most Building Plans submitted were for residential structures (52.7%), followed by commercial structures (32.0%), mixed-use structures (5.7%), institutional structures (4.7%), and other structures (3.6%) while industrial building categories registered 1.3 percent

• Statistics on Building Plans Approved in 2023 show that 52.7 percent were Residential buildings Plans, 32.0 percent were Commercial buildings plans, 5.7 percent were mixed-use plans. The other building categories registered less than 3.6 percent

• Of all plans deferred in 2023, 43.2 percent were for Residential buildings, 36.0 percent were for Commercial buildings, 6.9 percent were mixed-use buildings.

• An increase in production was realized for Limestone, Pozollana, Kaolin, Marble, Aggregate, Dimension stone, Syenitic Aggregate, and Iron Ore with 30.7, 67.57, 3,079.78, 8.62, 60.63, 117.44, and 171.54 percent respectively

• There was an increase in the total value of the minerals produced by 97.32 percent, from 145 billion in CY2022 to 286 billion shillings in CY2023

• The total national road length during the FY2022/23 increased by 0.1 percent, from 21,178.07 km in FY2021/22 to 21,200.19 km in FY2022/23. During the period, there was an increase in total paved road length by 5.5 percent

• Overall, the number of newly registered motor vehicles and motorcycles
  decreased by 21.8 percent to 192,465 in the CY2023 from 245,999 recorded in the CY2022

• The total number of passengers passing through Entebbe International Airport increased to 1,955,113 (22.6%) in 2023, from 1,594,760 in 2022

• In CY2023, there was a 30.1 percent increase in total number of passengers transported using registered ferry operators, from 3.8 million in CY2022 to 4.9 million passengers in CY2023

• A total of 264,181 metric tonnes was hauled in CY2023, indicating a reduction in haulage of 11.5 percent compared to 298,430 metric tonnes hauled in CY 2022

• The total number of mobile money registered customers increased by almost 12.3 percent, from 32.7 Million customers in CY2021 to 36.8 million customers in CY2022

• The total volume of letters handled by Posta Uganda decreased by 14.4 percent in CY2022, from 567,456 letters in CY2021 to 485,912 letters in 2022

• Total import of petroleum products increased by 7.9 percent, from 2,283,839 cubic meters in CY2022 to 2,465,103 cubic meters in CY2023.

• A total of 2,526,328 cubic litres of selected petroleum products were sold in CY2023, reflecting a 10.1 percent increase in CY2023 compared to 2,295,600 cubic litres of sales in CY 2022

• Analysis by product shows that the average retail price per litre of both Petrol and Diesel decreased by 9.2 percent and 8.4 percent respectively for CY2023

• The Calendar Year (CY) 2023 registered an annual average increase of 10.3 percent (compared with CY 2022) in production of manufactured goods

• The domestic production of cement increased from about 4.7 million tonnes in 2022 to about 5.1 million tonnes in 2023, representing an 8.6 percent increase

• The domestic production of sugar decreased from 785 thousand tonnes in 2022 to about 578 thousand tonnes in 2023, representing a 26.4 percent decrease

• TThe domestic production of cooking oil increased from about 229 million litres in 2022 to about 301 million litres in 2023, representing a 31.4 percent decrease

• The domestic production of soft drinks increased from about 972 million litres in 2022 to about 1,247 million litres in 2023, representing a 28.3 percent increase

• The domestic production of spirits increased from about 113 million litres in 2022 to about 127 million litres in 2023, representing a 12.3 percent increase

• The total installed capacity of electricity power sources increased by 34 percent from 1,378.01 MW in 2022 to 1,846.75 MW in CY2023.

• Electricity generated increased by 9.3 percent from 5,520.3 GWh in CY2022 to 6032.3 GWh. Electricity purchased by Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL) from the generating companies increased by 9.8 percent from 5490 GWh in CY2022 to 6027.8 GWh in CY20223

• Total number of electricity consumers increased from 1,827,000 consumers in FY2021/22 to 1,980,649 consumers in the FY2022/23

• The total volume of letters handled by Posta Uganda decreased by 6.4 percent in CY2023, from 485,912 letters in CY2022 to 454,984 letters

• The total number of mobile money registered customers increased by 6.2 percent, from 40.8 million customers in CY2022 to 43.4 million customers in CY2023

• The number of mobile money transactions increased by 22.9 percent from 5,230,548 million transactions in CY2022 to 6,429,313 million in CY2023

• During FY2023/24, 1,022,203 new taxpayers were added to the tax-payer register representing a growth of 29.2 percent. As at the end of FY 2023/24, the taxpayer register had 4,522,497 taxpayers

Demographic and Socio-Economic Statistics

• Pre-primary Enrolment decreased by 10 percentage points from 18 percent in 2016 to eight percent in 2017

• The primary enrolment increased from 8.7 million in 2016 to about 8.8 million pupils in 2017

• The majority (336,507) of pupils who sat for PLE in the year 2023 passed in Division II and about 88,269 pupils failed (DIV U)

• Secondary school enrolment reduced by six percent from about 1,457 ,000 in 2016 to 1,371,000 in 2017

• The majority of students who sat the UCE examination in 2023 passed in Division 4 (112,923) while 14,879 students in totally failed.

• The UACE results of 2023 show a pass rate of 73.7 percent. About 25.8 percent (28,191 students) of the students that sat for UACE in 2023 passed with two Principal passes

• Enrolment at tertiary level was about 259,000 in 2016, of which 72 percent were in universities. The proportion of males (56 percent) enrolled in higher institutions was higher than that of females (44 percent)

• Working Age Population (15 years and above) was estimated at 26.4 million persons, representing 58.1 percent of the population in 2025. This comprised 12.3 million males (56.2%) and 14.1 million females (59.8%).

• Working Age Population (14–64 years) was estimated at 26.2 million persons, accounting for 57.6 percent of the total survey population in 2025. This included 12.3 million males (56.2%) and 13.9 million females (58.8%)

• The Employment-to-Population Ratio (EPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 44.7 percent. Male employment was higher at 53.1 percent compared to 37.4 percent for females

• Employment among persons aged 15 years and above was largely dominated by the services sector at 50.5 percent of workers followed by agriculture, forestry, and fishing at 37.1 percent, while the industry sector employed 12.4 percent

• Unemployment rate among persons aged 15 years and above stood at 12.2 percent, with a higher rate among females (13.9%) compared to males (10.8%). Urban areas recorded a slightly higher unemployment rate (12.8%) than rural areas (11.8%), and females in both settings experienced higher unemployment than males

• Youth unemployment rate among persons aged 15–24 years was 17.9 percent, with a higher rate among females (21.0%) than males (15.2%). Rural–urban comparison showed that unemployment was higher in urban areas (18.7%) than in rural areas (17.2%)

• Youth aged 15–24 years, Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET), were estimated at 4,001,528 persons, representing 42.6 percent. In comparison, youth aged 18–30 years, NEET, comprised 5,250,768 persons, representing 50.9 percent.
• The median monthly cash earnings for persons in paid employment were estimated at Uganda shillings 200,000 in 2023/24, with males earning more (Uganda shillings 272,000) than females (Uganda shillings 120,000).

• Total employment in the formal establishments was 2,373,109 employees. This The Services sector was the leading employer with 1,985,054 employees, followed by the Industry sector with 301,787 employees. The Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector recorded the lowest employment, with 86,296 employees. Males accounted for 64.2 percent (1,524,540 employees), while females accounted for the 35.8 percent (848,569 employees)

• Total employment in the informal establishments was 7,350,199 employees. The services sector was the leading employer with 6,121,260 employees, followed by the Industry sector with 1,186,394 employees and the Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector recorded the least employment with 42,547 employees

• A total of 155,240 vacancies were available in formal establishments, with the Services sector contributing the largest share at 115,927, followed by the Industry sector with 22,566 vacancies and Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing with 16,747 vacancies

• The highest number of job vacancies in formal establishments arose from staff resignations, accounting for 35.9 percent (55,684 vacancies). Expansion contributed 30.0 percent (46,562 vacancies), while other reasons such as restructuring, termination, retirement, and others accounted for the remaining vacancies

• A total of 305,364 job vacancies were available in informal establishments with the Services sector accounting for the Highest number at 223,106, followed by the Industry sector with 80,100 vacancies and Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing sector with the lowest number at 2,160 vacancies

• The highest number of job vacancies in informal establishments was due to expansion with 107,728 vacancies, followed by resignation with 91,232 vacancies, termination with 21,356 vacancies, and restructuring with 20,550 vacancies. Other reasons, including promotions, death, and seasonality of jobs, accounted for 64,498 vacancies

• A total of 46,217 jobs in formal establishments were lost. Layoffs were the leading cause of job loss, accounting for 17,731 jobs, followed by downsizing with 13,623 jobs, while outsourcing accounted for 10,526 jobs lost. The remaining jobs were lost due to other factors

• There are 10.698 million households in Uganda according to the 2024 NPHC

• The average household monthly expenditure stood at UGX 566,666 in
  2023/24

• The share of food, drinks and tobacco ranked highest with 45 percent in the total household expenditure during 2023/24 UNHS

• The UNHS 2023/24 indicated that headcount poverty stood at 16.1 percent. The incidence of poverty remains high in rural areas (19 %) compared to urban areas (10%)

• The number of functional healthcare facilities has generally increased irrespective of the ownership status, making a total of 8,600 in 2022/23

• The human resource statistics for health indicates that approved posts in health facilities were filled to 74 percent in F/Y 2020/21 an increase from 65 percent recorded in 2019/20

• Malaria (9%) continues to be the leading cause of death followed by endocrine disorders (5%)

• The health facility based maternal mortality declined from 146 in 2013/14 to 90 deaths per 100,000 live deliveries in 2022/23

• The number of recorded perinatal deaths reduced from 18.5 in FY 2021/22 to 17.8 per 1000 births in FY 2022/23

• The TB treatment detection rate reduced to 57 percent in FY2021/22 from 82 percent in FY2019/2020

• In 2023, there was a 1.5 percent decrease in the volume of crimes reported to the Uganda Police Force from 231,653 cases registered in 2022 to 228,074 cases

• 23,608 road traffic crashes were recorded by the UPF in Calendar Year 2023

• Almost 53 percent of the accidents in CY2023 were serious, 29 percent of the accidents were minor, and 18 percent of the total accidents were fatal

• The total number of road traffic crashes in Calendar Year 2023 increased by 16.0 percent from those recorded in Calendar Year 2022

• Number of criminal prisoners increased from 73,407 in 2022 to 76,105 in 2023

• The total prison population increased from 73,836 in 2022 to 76,613 in 2023

• Uganda registered about 3.8 million people arriving and departing the country in 2023 compared to 2.5 million in 2022 which shows a significant increase in movements

• There were about 1.8 million persons entering the country (arrivals) and about 1.9 million persons leaving the country (departures) in 2023

• In 2023, about 1,274,000 visitors entered Uganda through the gazetted ports of entry/exit and about 1,228,000 visitors left the country

• The main reason for visitors into Uganda in 2023 was for other reasons
  including medical, tourists, spiritual and training (48 percent)

• Overall, there were 387,914 visitors to National parks and 619,164 to Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC) in 2023

• There was a big reduction in the overall room occupancy from 50.9 in 2019 to 20.1 in 2020

• Domestic violence cases reduced from 17,698 in 2022 to 14,681 in 2023.

• Based on the UDHS 2022, 44 percent of women and 39 percent of men had experienced physical violence since age 15

• The most common perpetrator of physical violence among ever married women was the current husband/partner (61%) and among the men was the wife/partner (34%)

• The UDHS 2022 revealed that about one in five percent of the population aged five years and above had some form of functional difficulty while 81 percent did not have any functional difficulties for the six domains.

• Overall, the disability prevalence rate in Uganda, stood at 5.7 (Women 7.7 and men 5.8) percent in 2022.

• Voter turnover was highest at 5.9 million Ugandans in Central Region and lowest in Northern Region at 3.46 million.