Sub-Saharan Africa · Low income

Uganda: the economy in numbers

Per person: $1,206, or $3,488 at purchasing power parity. Population: 51.4 million (2025).

$62B+6.3%real GDP growth, 2025

GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #89 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +6.2%.

GDP per capita

$1,206

2025 · #184 of 204

GDP per capita, PPP

$3,488

2025 · #180 of 197

Inflation

3.6%

2025 · IMF forecast 2026: 4.2%

Government debt

53.2%

2025 · % of GDP, general government

Population

51.4M

2025 · #31 of 217

Unemployment

2.7%

2025 · ILO estimate

Life expectancy

68.5 years

2024

GDP

Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $4.61 billion in 1960, $62 billion in 2025.

Current US dollars; “In 2025 dollars” removes US inflationSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

GDP per capita

In 2025 dollars: $603 per person in 1960, $1,206 in 2025.

GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)

PPP: purchasing power parity, international dollarsSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Real GDP growth

Average over 2016–2025: 4.9% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1980: 3 of 46.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Inflation

Consumer prices rose 4.18 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 215.4% in 1987. Years with inflation above 100%: 5. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Government debt, % of GDP

Highest since 1997: 55.1% of GDP in 2003. IMF forecast for 2031: 57.2%.

General government (IMF)Central government only (World Bank)

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Population

1960: 7.64 million · 2025: 51.4 million.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Unemployment rate

1991: 3.4% · 2025: 2.7%.

% of the labor force, ILO modeled estimatesSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Life expectancy at birth

1960: 45.6 years · 2024: 68.5 years.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Exports of goods and services

1960: 27.3% · 2025: 21.4%.

% of GDPSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Data by year

Show the year-by-year table

Year	GDP	GDP per capita	Per capita, PPP	Real growth	Inflation	Gov. debt, % GDP	Population	Unemployment	Life expectancy	Exports, % GDP
2031				5.7%^f	5.0%^f	57.2%^f
2030				6.0%^f	5.0%^f	56.8%^f
2029				6.3%^f	5.0%^f	56.0%^f
2028				7.1%^f	4.6%^f	55.1%^f
2027				9.9%^f	5.3%^f	54.9%^f
2026				6.2%^f	4.2%^f	55.1%^f
2025	$62B	$1,206	$3,488	6.3%	3.6%	53.2%	51.4M	2.7%		21.4%
2024	$53.9B	$1,078	$3,278	6.1%	3.3%	51.8%	50M	2.7%	68.5	16.8%
2023	$48.8B	$1,002	$3,100	5.3%	5.4%	50.4%	48.7M	2.8%	68.3	11.6%
2022	$45.6B	$963	$2,919	4.6%	7.2%	49.9%	47.3M	2.9%	67.7	12.0%
2021	$40.5B	$883	$2,685	3.5%	2.2%	50.3%	45.9M	3.4%	66.5	15.8%
2020	$37.6B	$846	$2,532	3.0%	3.3%	46.8%	44.5M	3.8%	66.4	15.4%
2019	$35.4B	$822	$2,441	6.4%	2.9%	38.0%	43M	3.1%	66.4	17.1%
2018	$32.9B	$792	$2,312	6.3%	2.6%	35.0%	41.6M	3.2%	65.8	15.1%
2017	$30.7B	$765	$2,158	3.1%	5.2%	33.6%	40.2M	3.4%	65.2	16.7%
2016	$29.2B	$753	$2,165	4.8%	5.7%	31.3%	38.8M	3.0%	64.5	12.4%
2015	$32.4B	$863	$2,190	5.2%	5.6%	28.0%	37.5M	2.7%	63.8	12.9%
2014	$32.6B	$896	$2,134	5.1%	3.1%	24.8%	36.4M	2.4%	63.1	14.9%
2013	$28.9B	$818	$2,045	3.6%	4.9%	22.1%	35.3M	1.9%	62.4	16.5%
2012	$27.3B	$795	$2,032	3.8%	12.7%	19.5%	34.3M	3.6%	61.6	15.5%
2011	$27.9B	$836	$2,268	9.4%	16.6%	18.0%	33.4M	3.5%	60.8	12.9%
2010	$26.7B	$823	$2,092	5.6%	4.0%	18.4%	32.4M	3.6%	60.0	13.8%
2009	$25.1B	$799	$2,015	6.8%	13.0%	14.8%	31.5M	3.6%	59.2	18.6%
2008	$14.4B	$473	$1,931	8.7%	12.1%	15.7%	30.5M	3.0%	58.3	24.3%
2007	$11.9B	$401	$1,795	8.4%	6.1%	17.0%	29.7M	2.7%	57.2	16.7%
2006	$9.98B	$347	$1,660	10.8%	7.3%	27.8%	28.8M	2.3%	56.1	15.3%
2005	$9.24B	$330	$1,497	6.3%	8.4%	42.6%	28M	1.9%	54.9	14.2%
2004	$7.94B	$292	$1,405	6.8%	3.7%	49.0%	27.2M	2.7%	53.7	12.7%
2003	$6.61B	$251	$1,320	6.5%	8.7%	55.1%	26.4M	3.6%	52.4	11.4%
2002	$6.18B	$242	$1,255	8.7%	−0.3%	54.7%	25.5M	3.5%	51.4	11.2%
2001	$5.84B	$236	$1,173	5.2%	1.9%	51.4%	24.7M	3.5%	50.6	11.5%
2000	$6.19B	$258	$1,124	3.1%	3.4%	48.5%	24M	3.5%	49.6	10.7%
1999	$6.0B	$258	$1,100	8.1%	5.8%	47.7%	23.3M	3.5%	49.0	12.3%
1998	$6.58B	$292	$1,037	4.9%	0.1%	45.1%	22.5M	3.4%	48.3	9.6%
1997	$6.27B	$287	$1,007	5.1%	8.2%	44.2%	21.9M	3.2%	48.0	13.4%
1996	$6.04B	$285	$969	9.1%	7.2%		21.2M	3.2%	47.8	12.0%
1995	$5.76B	$279	$897	11.5%	6.6%		20.7M	3.2%	47.7	11.8%
1994	$3.99B	$198	$809	6.4%	10.0%		20.1M	3.5%	47.7	8.7%
1993	$3.22B	$166	$770	8.3%	30.0%		19.4M	3.5%	47.7	7.1%
1992	$2.86B	$152	$719	3.4%	42.2%		18.8M	3.6%	47.7	8.8%
1991	$3.32B	$183	$703	5.6%	20.8%		18.2M	3.4%	47.5	7.5%
1990	$4.3B	$245	$666	6.5%	45.4%		17.6M		47.6	7.2%
1989	$5.28B	$310		6.4%	130.8%		17M		47.5	8.0%
1988	$6.51B	$395		8.3%	166.7%		16.5M		47.5	7.6%
1987	$6.27B	$393		4.0%	215.4%		16M		47.4	8.2%
1986	$3.92B	$254		0.4%	143.8%		15.5M		45.7	12.8%
1985	$3.52B	$234		−3.3%	100.0%		15M		45.5	13.7%
1984	$3.62B	$248		−0.3%	16.7%		14.6M		43.7	12.7%
1983	$2.24B	$158		5.7%	150.0%		14.2M		43.5	8.7%
1982	$2.18B	$157		8.2%	100.0%		13.9M		43.3	8.4%
1981	$1.34B	$99		3.9%	100.0%		13.6M		43.5	16.1%
1980	$1.24B	$94		−3.4%	99.2%		13.3M		43.5	19.4%
1979	$2.14B	$165					13M		45.4	19.4%
1978	$2.42B	$191					12.7M		45.6	13.7%
1977	$2.94B	$238					12.4M		45.8	9.2%
1976	$2.45B	$203					12M		46.2	11.4%
1975	$2.36B	$201					11.7M		46.5	8.7%
1974	$2.1B	$184					11.4M		46.9	14.7%
1973	$1.7B	$153					11.1M		47.0	16.6%
1972	$1.49B	$137					10.9M		47.2	19.4%
1971	$1.42B	$133					10.6M		47.1	19.8%
1970	$1.26B	$122					10.3M		49.6	23.4%
1969	$1.17B	$117					10M		49.5	21.5%
1968	$1.04B	$107					9.71M		49.3	23.9%
1967	$967M	$103					9.41M		49.0	25.3%
1966	$925M	$101					9.12M		48.5	25.6%
1965	$885M	$100					8.85M		48.3	25.6%
1964	$589M	$69					8.59M		47.8	29.9%
1963	$516M	$62					8.33M		47.4	28.3%
1962	$449M	$56					8.09M		46.8	24.1%
1961	$442M	$56					7.86M		46.3	24.4%
1960	$423M	$55					7.64M		45.6	27.3%

e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Real growth: IMF data for 1980–1982, World Bank for the other years. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–1993, World Bank for the other years.

Nearby economies in Sub-Saharan Africa

Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.

Rwanda

$1,124 per person (2025)

Kenya

$2,363 per person (2025)

South Sudan

$1,080 per person (2015)

Burundi

$234 per person (2025)

Tanzania

$1,319 per person (2025)

Ethiopia

$933 per person (2025)

Central African Republic

$556 per person (2025)

Somalia

$661 per person (2025)

Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Côte d’Ivoire · DR Congo · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Republic of the Congo · Rwanda · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · São Tomé and Príncipe · Tanzania · Togo · Uganda · Zambia · Zimbabwe

Rankings

GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country

Data and methods

GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)