Mountains in Uganda

Uganda Economy

Uganda's economy in numbers:

Nominal GDP of USD 51.9 billion in 2023.

Nominal GDP of USD 47.6 billion in 2022.

GDP per capita of USD 1,089 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

GDP per capita of USD 1,140 compared to the global average of USD 10,589.

Average real GDP growth of 4.5% over the last decade.

Average real GDP growth of 4.4% over the last decade.

Share of the region's population
Share of the region's GDP

Economic structure:

In 2021, services accounted for 49% of overall GDP, manufacturing 16%, other industrial activity 11%, and agriculture 24%. Looking at GDP by expenditure, private consumption accounted for 73% of GDP in 2021, government consumption 10%, fixed investment 24%, and net exports -7%.

GDP by economic sector
GDP by type of expenditure

International trade:

In 2020, manufactured products made up 13% of total merchandise exports, mineral fuels 2%, food 38%, ores and metals 0% and agricultural raw materials 2%, with other categories accounting for 45% of the total. In the same period, manufactured products made up 51% of total merchandise imports, mineral fuels 12%, food 12%, ores and metals 2% and agricultural raw materials 1%, with other goods accounting for 22% of the total. Total exports were worth USD 4 billion in 2022, while total imports were USD 8 billion.

Key exports
Key imports
Key export partners
Key import partners

Economic growth:

The economy recorded average annual growth of 4.4% in the decade to 2022. To read more about GDP growth in Uganda, go to our dedicated page.

Fiscal policy:

Uganda's fiscal deficit averaged 4.1% of GDP in the decade to 2022. Find out more on our dedicated page.

Unemployment:

The unemployment rate averaged 3.4% in the decade to 2022. For more information on Uganda's unemployment click here.

Inflation:

Inflation averaged 4.9% in the decade to 2022. Go to our Uganda inflation page for extra insight.

Monetary Policy:

Uganda's monetary policy rate ended 2022 at 10.00%, down from 12.00% a decade earlier. See our Uganda monetary policy page for additional details.

Exchange Rate:

From end-2012 to end-2022 the shilling weakened by 27.6% vs the U.S. dollar. For more info on the shilling, click here.
Year-on-year economic growth decelerated in Q2 on the heels of softer expansions in household consumption, fixed investment and exports. That said, public spending grew at a faster clip. Shifting to the third quarter, our Consensus is for the economy to lose further steam, and available data backs this projection. Economic activity growth slowed in July–August relative to Q2. Moreover, merchandise exports growth ticked down over the same two-month period. That said, the private-sector PMI average above Q2’s level in Q3, pointing to a stronger improvement in business operating conditions. In other news, the government recently announced the creation of a state-owned mining company to manage its equity interests in the sector. Enhanced equity management bodes well for the public coffers, as the government is entitled to a 15% free carry stake in all mining operations in the country.
Projections out to 2034.

43 indicators covered including both annual and quarterly frequencies.

Consensus Forecasts based on a panel of 14 expert analysts.

Want to get insight on the economic outlook for Uganda in the coming years? FocusEconomics collects projections out to 2034 on 43 economic indicators for Uganda from a panel of 14 analysts at the leading national, regional and global forecast institutions. These projections are then validated by our in-house team of economists and data analysts, and averaged to provide one Consensus Forecast you can rely on for each indicator. This means you avoid the risk of relying on out of date, biased or outlier forecasts. Our Consensus Forecasts can be visualized in whichever way best suits your needs, including via interactive online dashboards , direct data delivery and executive-style reports which combine analysts' projections with timely written analysis from our in-house team of economists on the latest developments in the Uganda economy. To download a sample report on the Uganda's economy, click here. To get in touch with our team for more information, fill in the form at the bottom of this page.

Uganda Economic Data

2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Population (million) 39.8 41.2 42.5 44.0 45.5
GDP (USD bn) 37.7 38.0 42.8 47.3 51.9
GDP per capita (USD) 948 921 1,008 1,077 1,142
GDP (UGX bn) 140,089 141,156 153,544 174,444 193,508
Economic Growth (Nominal GDP, ann. var. %) 10.4 0.8 8.8 13.6 10.9
Economic Growth (GDP, ann. var. %) 7.6 -1.2 5.5 6.2 4.9
Domestic Demand (ann. var. %) 9.0 -2.1 7.8 5.9 6.6
Private Consumption (ann. var. %) 8.8 -3.0 6.9 6.3 9.2
Government Consumption (ann. var. %) 14.1 7.9 2.2 16.1 -8.0
Fixed Investment (ann. var. %) 7.9 -2.9 12.8 1.2 5.1
Exports (G&S, ann. var. %) 34.1 -17.3 -1.2 -8.5 -12.0
Imports (G&S, ann. var. %) 4.5 5.7 7.3 -4.0 0.1
Fiscal Balance (% of GDP) -4.8 -7.8 -7.4 -5.9 -4.9
Public Debt (% of GDP) 37.5 46.3 50.4 50.0 51.0
Money (ann. var. of M2 %) 16.4 18.6 5.8 8.3 12.6
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, eop) 2.4 2.5 2.9 10.2 2.6
Inflation (CPI, ann. var. %, aop) 2.1 2.8 2.2 7.2 5.4
Central Bank Rate (%, eop) 9.00 7.00 6.50 10.00 9.50
Exchange Rate (UGX per USD, eop) 3,685 3,650 3,544 3,714 3,780
Exchange Rate (UGX per USD, aop) 3,712 3,718 3,588 3,687 3,726
Current Account Balance (USD bn) -2.6 -3.6 -3.6 -4.1 -3.8
Current Account Balance (% of GDP) -7.0 -9.5 -8.4 -8.6 -7.3
Merchandise Trade Balance (USD bn) -2.8 -2.6 -3.0 -3.7 -3.1
Merchandise Exports (USD bn) 4.1 4.5 4.5 4.3 7.0
Merchandise Imports (USD bn) 6.9 7.1 7.5 7.9 10.2
Merchandise Exports (ann. var. %) 12.6 8.9 0.7 -4.9 63.8
Merchandise Imports (ann. var. %) 12.5 3.6 6.2 5.4 27.7
Foreign Direct Investment (USD bn) 1.3 1.2 1.6 3.0 2.9
International Reserves (USD bn) 3.2 3.8 4.3 3.6 3.7
International Reserves (months of imports) 5.6 6.5 6.9 5.4 4.4
External Debt (USD bn) 14.0 17.2 19.2 19.5 -
External Debt (% of GDP) 37.0 45.3 44.9 41.2 -

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