Includes Uganda real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Uganda economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Uganda best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Presidential republic
Capital City: Kampala
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
Central Bank |
Bank of Uganda |
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Currency |
Ugandan shillings (UGX) |
International Reserves |
USD 3.4 billion (2018) World Bank, data retrieved October 2019 |
Gross Domestic Product – GDP |
USD 28.1 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) |
Intl$ 97.0 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
Real GDP growth |
2007: 8.1% 2008: 10.4% 2009: 8.1% 2010: 7.7% 2011: 6.8% 2012: 2.2% 2013: 4.7% 2014: 4.6% 2015: 5.7% 2016: 2.3% 2017: 5% 2018: 6.2% (Estimate) |
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GDP per capita – current prices |
USD 724.4 (2018, estimate) |
GDP per capita – PPP |
Intl$ 2,497.6 (2018, estimate) |
GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980: 0.03% 1990: 0.03% 2000: 0.04% 2010: 0.06% 2019: 0.07% (Estimate) |
GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 24.2% industry: 19.9% services: 47.6% (2018 estimate) |
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
Inflation |
2015: 5.4% 2016: 5.5% 2017: 5.6% 2018: 2.6% 2019: 3.2% (Estimate) |
Uganda
Inflation & Debt
Inflation |
2015: 5.4% 2016: 5.5% 2017: 5.6% 2018: 2.6% 2019: 3.2% (Estimate) |
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Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: B Moody’s: B2 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
Unemployment rate |
2015: N/A 2016: N/A 2017: N/A 2018: N/A 2019: N/A (Estimate) |
Household saving rates | N/A |
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015: 34.3% 2016: 37.1% 2017: 39.7% 2018: 41.4% (Estimate) 2019: 43.6% (Estimate) |
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015: -4.7% 2016: -4.8% 2017: -3.8% 2018: -4.2% (Estimate) 2019: -6.6% (Estimate) |
Market value of publicly traded shares | N/A |
Largest Companies | N/A |
Import/Export
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) |
5.9% (2017) |
---|---|
Shares in world total merchandising export |
0.004% (2018) |
Shares in world total commercial services export |
0.008% (2018) |
Total exports |
USD 1.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
Export commodities |
Opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems, and medical herbs |
Total imports |
USD 8.3 billion (2018 estimate) |
Import commodities |
Machinery and other capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products |
Exports – major partners |
India 56.5%, Pakistan 29.6% (2017) |
Imports – major partners |
China 21%, Iran 20.5%, Pakistan 11.8%, Kazakhstan 11%, Uzbekistan 6.8%, Malaysia 5.3%(2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
Current account balance |
USD -2.5 billion (2018 estimate) |
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP |
-8.9% (2018 estimate) |
FDI inflows |
2016: USD 626 million 2017: USD 803 million 2018: USD 1,337 million |
FDI Outflows |
2016: USD 0.2 million 2017: USD 0.3 million 2018: USD 0.3 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
N/A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) – World Investment Report |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 | N/A |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | N/A |
Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 116 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 169 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 113 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 168 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 135 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 80 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 88 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 92 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 121 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 77 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 99 out of 190 countries |
Global competitiveness ranking |
115 out of 141 countries (2019) |
Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 95 / Score: 59.7 (Mostly unfree) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
Time Zone |
UTC+3 |
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Total Area |
241,038 sq km |
Total Population |
1990: 15.78 million 2000: 21.82 million 2010: 30.52 million 2015: 35.49 million 2020: 41.22 million (Estimate) |
Urban population as % of total population |
1960: 4.4% 1980: 7.5% 2000: 14.8% 2018: 23.8% |
Population median age |
15.9 years |
Population growth rate |
3.18% (2018 estimate) |
Life expectancy |
56.3 years (2018 estimate) |
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
69.9% (last available estimate, 2016) |
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
42.8 (last available estimate, 2016) (0=perfect equality, 100=absolute inequality) |
Freedom House rating |
Not Free Political Rights: 6 Civil Liberties: 5 (2019) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 0.4% Mobile: 57.3% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
Internet users as % of total population |
23.71 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
Languages |
English (official language, taught in schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages and the language used most often in the capital), other Niger-Congo lan |
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Literacy |
Total population: 78.4% Male: 85.3% Female: 71.5% Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) |
Religions |
Protestant 45.1% (Anglican 32.0%, Pentecostal/Born Again/Evangelical 11.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.7%, Baptist .3%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, Muslim 13.7%, other 1.6%, none 0.2%(2014 est.) |
World Rankings
Population | 41.22 |
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Mercer Cost of living index |
Kampala: 183rd (2019) |
C02 Emissions per capita |
0.1 (20130.14 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Uganda
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.
Data Sources
Data Sources:
IMF World Economic Outlook
UN World Population Prospects
World Inequality Report
S&P Global Ratings
Moody’s
Fitch Ratings
IMF Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)
UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
CIA The World Factbook
World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution
Forbes Global 2000