Urban population in Uganda
Uganda: Urban population was 16.41 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Uganda recorded 16.41 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.9% on the previous year and up 75.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Uganda peaked at 16.41 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 333,371, in 1960.
Uganda ranks 54th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 333,371 | — |
| 1961 | 357,466 | +7.2% |
| 1962 | 384,619 | +7.6% |
| 1963 | 414,436 | +7.8% |
| 1964 | 446,324 | +7.7% |
| 1965 | 479,554 | +7.4% |
| 1966 | 513,395 | +7.1% |
| 1967 | 547,069 | +6.6% |
| 1968 | 579,679 | +6.0% |
| 1969 | 609,630 | +5.2% |
| 1970 | 636,813 | +4.5% |
| 1971 | 662,101 | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 684,652 | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 706,002 | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 728,505 | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 752,443 | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 777,767 | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 804,903 | +3.5% |
| 1978 | 834,398 | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 864,715 | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 896,845 | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 937,738 | +4.6% |
| 1982 | 991,415 | +5.7% |
| 1983 | 1.06 million | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 1.13 million | +7.1% |
| 1985 | 1.21 million | +7.4% |
| 1986 | 1.31 million | +7.5% |
| 1987 | 1.40 million | +7.5% |
| 1988 | 1.51 million | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 1.61 million | +6.9% |
| 1990 | 1.72 million | +6.4% |
| 1991 | 1.82 million | +5.9% |
| 1992 | 1.92 million | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 2.02 million | +5.4% |
| 1994 | 2.13 million | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 2.22 million | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 2.31 million | +4.2% |
| 1997 | 2.41 million | +4.5% |
| 1998 | 2.53 million | +4.7% |
| 1999 | 2.66 million | +5.1% |
| 2000 | 2.79 million | +5.2% |
| 2001 | 2.95 million | +5.4% |
| 2002 | 3.12 million | +5.8% |
| 2003 | 3.32 million | +6.5% |
| 2004 | 3.56 million | +7.4% |
| 2005 | 3.86 million | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 4.20 million | +8.9% |
| 2007 | 4.59 million | +9.4% |
| 2008 | 5.04 million | +9.7% |
| 2009 | 5.54 million | +9.9% |
| 2010 | 6.09 million | +9.9% |
| 2011 | 6.69 million | +9.9% |
| 2012 | 7.34 million | +9.7% |
| 2013 | 8.03 million | +9.5% |
| 2014 | 8.81 million | +9.6% |
| 2015 | 9.37 million | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 9.97 million | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 10.61 million | +6.4% |
| 2018 | 11.28 million | +6.3% |
| 2019 | 11.97 million | +6.2% |
| 2020 | 12.69 million | +6.0% |
| 2021 | 13.42 million | +5.8% |
| 2022 | 14.16 million | +5.5% |
| 2023 | 14.89 million | +5.2% |
| 2024 | 15.64 million | +5.0% |
| 2025 | 16.41 million | +4.9% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 16.41 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 2.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 16.41 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 3.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 466,554 | 333,371 | 609,630 | 10 |
| 1970s | 745,230 | 636,813 | 864,715 | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.21 million | 896,845 | 1.61 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.17 million | 1.72 million | 2.66 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.90 million | 2.79 million | 5.54 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.02 million | 6.09 million | 11.97 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 14.54 million | 12.69 million | 16.41 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 51 North Korea 17.06 million compare
- 52 Myanmar 16.78 million compare
- 53 Cameroon 16.63 million compare
- 55 Yemen 15.47 million compare
- 56 Mozambique 13.26 million compare
- 57 Kazakhstan 13.00 million compare
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 urban population in Uganda?
- Urban population in Uganda was 16.41 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 16.41 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 333,371 in 1960.
- How does Uganda rank for urban population?
- Uganda ranks 54th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.