Population growth in Uganda
Uganda: Population growth was 2.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Uganda, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Uganda is 2.7%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 12.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Uganda peaked at 3.5% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 2.1%, in 1980.
Uganda ranks 21st of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Population growth in Uganda, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.9% | — |
| 1962 | 2.9% | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 2.9% | +2.0% |
| 1964 | 3.0% | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 3.0% | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 3.0% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +1.6% |
| 1969 | 3.1% | -1.0% |
| 1970 | 3.0% | -2.9% |
| 1971 | 2.8% | -6.1% |
| 1972 | 2.5% | -12.2% |
| 1973 | 2.3% | -5.7% |
| 1974 | 2.5% | +6.0% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +4.4% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | +1.2% |
| 1977 | 2.6% | +0.6% |
| 1978 | 2.7% | +0.4% |
| 1979 | 2.4% | -9.1% |
| 1980 | 2.1% | -13.7% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | +0.5% |
| 1982 | 2.3% | +10.5% |
| 1983 | 2.5% | +7.2% |
| 1984 | 2.7% | +8.0% |
| 1985 | 2.8% | +4.9% |
| 1986 | 2.9% | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 3.1% | +6.4% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 3.2% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +3.8% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -2.8% |
| 1995 | 2.7% | -18.6% |
| 1996 | 2.7% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.9% | +7.3% |
| 1998 | 3.0% | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 3.1% | -3.0% |
| 2001 | 3.1% | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 3.2% | +0.9% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -5.0% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 2006 | 2.9% | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 2.9% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 2.9% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 2.9% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 2.9% | +0.1% |
| 2011 | 2.9% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 2.9% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 3.0% | +2.9% |
| 2015 | 3.1% | +4.1% |
| 2016 | 3.3% | +8.1% |
| 2017 | 3.5% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.4% | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 3.4% | -0.2% |
| 2020 | 3.3% | -1.7% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -3.5% |
| 2022 | 3.0% | -6.5% |
| 2023 | 2.8% | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 2.8% | -1.7% |
| 2025 | 2.7% | -1.9% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 2.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 2.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.1% | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.6% | 2.3% | 3.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.7% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.1% | 2.7% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.0% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.0% | 2.7% | 3.3% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More climate change data for Uganda
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 22.78 million kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 27,987 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 10,431 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 17,556 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 39.36 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 627.02 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 1,448 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 756.87 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 691.37 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 2.86 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Uganda?
- Population growth in Uganda was 2.7% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 3.5% in 2017.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.1% in 1980.
- How does Uganda rank for population growth?
- Uganda ranks 21st out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.