The total population in Uganda was estimated at 48.7 million people in 2023, according to the latest census figures and projections from Trading Economics. This dataset provides - Uganda Population - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

This statistic shows the total population of Uganda from 2013 to 2023 by gender. In 2023, Uganda's female population amounted to approximately 24.53 million, while the male population amounted to approximately 24.12 million inhabitants.

Population density per pixel at 100 metre resolution. WorldPop provides estimates of numbers of people residing in each 100x100m grid cell for every low and middle income country. Through integrating census, survey, satellite and GIS data sets in a flexible machine-learning framework, high resolution maps of population counts and densities for 2000-2020 are produced, along with accompanying metadata. DATASET: Alpha version 2010 and 2015 estimates of numbers of people per grid square, with national totals adjusted to match UN population division estimates (http://esa.un.org/wpp/) and remaining unadjusted. SPATIAL RESOLUTION: 0.000833333 decimal degrees (approx 100m at the equator) PROJECTION: Geographic, WGS84 UNITS: Estimated persons per grid square MAPPING APPROACH: Land cover based, as described in: Linard, C., Gilbert, M., Snow, R.W., Noor, A.M. and Tatem, A.J., 2012, Population distribution, settlement patterns and accessibility across Africa in 2010, PLoS ONE, 7(2): e31743. FORMAT: Geotiff (zipped using 7-zip (open access tool): www.7-zip.org) FILENAMES: Example - AGO10adjv4.tif = Angola (AGO) population count map for 2010 (10) adjusted to match UN national estimates (adj), version 4 (v4). Population maps are updated to new versions when improved census or other input data become available. Uganda data available from WorldPop here.

The annual population growth in Uganda decreased by 0.2 percentage points (-6.64 percent) compared to the previous year. Therefore, the population growth in Uganda saw its lowest number in that year with 2.8 percent. Population growth deals with the annual change in total population, and is affected by factors such as fertility, mortality, and migration.Find more key insights for the annual population growth in countries like Madagascar and Zambia.

Historical chart and dataset showing total population for Uganda by year from 1950 to 2025.

Uganda UG: Population: Growth data was reported at 3.260 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 3.291 % for 2016. Uganda UG: Population: Growth data is updated yearly, averaging 3.287 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 3.550 % in 1988 and a record low of 2.648 % in 1973. Uganda UG: Population: Growth data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Uganda – Table UG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. 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.; ; Derived from total population. Population source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision, (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average;

VERSION 1.5. The world's most accurate population datasets. Seven maps/datasets for the distribution of various populations in Uganda: (1) Overall population density (2) Women (3) Men (4) Children (ages 0-5) (5) Youth (ages 15-24) (6) Elderly (ages 60+) (7) Women of reproductive age (ages 15-49). Methodology These high-resolution maps are created using machine learning techniques to identify buildings from commercially available satellite images. This is then overlayed with general population estimates based on publicly available census data and other population statistics at Columbia University. The resulting maps are the most detailed and actionable tools available for aid and research organizations. For more information about the methodology used to create our high resolution population density maps and the demographic distributions, click here. For information about how to use HDX to access these datasets, please visit: https://dataforgood.fb.com/docs/high-resolution-population-density-maps-demographic-estimates-documentation/ Adjustments to match the census population with the UN estimates are applied at the national level. The UN estimate for a given country (or state/territory) is divided by the total census estimate of population for the given country. The resulting adjustment factor is multiplied by each administrative unit census value for the target year. This preserves the relative population totals across administrative units while matching the UN total. More information can be found here

The total population of Uganda was estimated at approximately 46.62 million people in 2024. Following a continuous upward trend, the total population has risen by around 35.36 million people since 1980. Between 2024 and 2030, the total population will rise by around 10.68 million people, continuing its consistent upward trajectory.This indicator describes the total population in the country at hand. This total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census.

This data set shows the different health aspects covered in the Uganda Demographic Health Survey reports for the years 2000-01, 2006, 2011 and 2016. The surveys were implemented by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.

Population, female (% of total population) in Uganda was reported at 50.42 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Uganda - Population, female (% of total) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

In 1800, the population of the region that makes up today's Republic of Uganda was just over two million people. Throughout the 19th century, the population of Uganda would see only modest growth, as increased exposure to the outside world would lead to a series of epidemics afflicting the population, including a devastating outbreak of rinderpest in 1891 killing off much of the region’s cattle, and several outbreaks of smallpox. Uganda’s population would begin to grow more rapidly in the years following the First World War, in part the result of economic growth from wartime agricultural production (unlike neighboring Tanzania, Uganda was spared much of the conflict in East Africa, and as a result saw a significant expansion of cash crop production).

The population of Uganda would continue to grow throughout the remainder of the 20th century, particularly so following the country’s independence from the British Empire in 1962. However, this growth would slow through the 1970s under Idi Amin’s Second Republic of Uganda, which saw real wage and salaries decrease by 90% in less than a decade, and mass expulsions and terror campaigns resulting in a significant number of deaths and refugees throughout the country. Following Idi Amin’s ousting from power in the 1979 Ugandan-Tanzanian War, Uganda’s population has continued to rise exponentially, and in 2020, Uganda is estimated to have a population of approximately 45.7 million.

Uganda population density for 2022 was 235.95, a 3.05% increase from 2021.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Uganda population density for 2021 was <strong>228.96</strong>, a <strong>3.27% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Uganda population density for 2020 was <strong>221.71</strong>, a <strong>3.39% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
<li>Uganda population density for 2019 was <strong>214.44</strong>, a <strong>3.45% increase</strong> from 2018.</li>
</ul>Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

The Uganda Population-Based Survey (PBS) provides a comprehensive assessment of the status of agriculture and food security in 38 districts across eight regions of the country at the time of hte survey. The PBS was conducted from October 25 to December 30, 2012. The overall objective of the survey is to provide baseline data on living standards, nutritional status, and women's empowerment in agriculture in the Feed the Future Zone Of Influence (ZOI). The ZOI in Uganda comprises 38 districts across eight regions. A total of 2,566 households in the ZOI spread across 140 standard enumeration areas (SEAs) were interviewed. These households were in the targeted districts, which are the same SEAs within the ZOI from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) 2011.

IPUMS-International is an effort to inventory, preserve, harmonize, and disseminate census microdata from around the world. The project has collected the world's largest archive of publicly available census samples. The data are coded and documented consistently across countries and over time to facillitate comparative research. IPUMS-International makes these data available to qualified researchers free of charge through a web dissemination system. The IPUMS project is a collaboration of the Minnesota Population Center, National Statistical Offices, and international data archives. Major funding is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Additional support is provided by the University of Minnesota Office of the Vice President for Research, the Minnesota Population Center, and Sun Microsystems.

Uganda UG: Population: Total data was reported at 42,862,958.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 41,487,965.000 Person for 2016. Uganda UG: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 16,554,311.500 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 42,862,958.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 6,788,214.000 Person in 1960. Uganda UG: Population: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Uganda – Table UG.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Abstract

The 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (2016 UDHS) was implemented by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The survey sample was designed to provide estimates of population and health indicators including fertility and child mortality rates for the country as a whole, for the urban and rural areas separately, and for each of the 15 regions in Uganda (South Central, North Central, Busoga, Kampala, Lango, Acholi, Tooro, Bunyoro, Bukedi, Bugisu, Karamoja, Teso, Kigezi, Ankole, and West Nile).

The primary objective of the 2016 UDHS project is to provide up-to-date estimates of basic demographic and health indicators. Specifically, the 2016 UDHS collected information on: • Key demographic indicators, particularly fertility and under-5, adult, and maternal mortality rates • Direct and indirect factors that determine levels of and trends in fertility and child mortality • Contraceptive knowledge and practice • Key aspects of maternal and child health, including immunisation coverage among children, prevalence and treatment of diarrhoea and other diseases among children under age 5, and maternity care indicators such as antenatal visits and assistance at delivery • Child feeding practices, including breastfeeding, and anthropometric measures to assess the nutritional status of women, men, and children • Knowledge and attitudes of women and men about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS, potential exposure to the risk of HIV infection (risk behaviours and condom use), and coverage of HIV testing and counselling (HTC) and other key HIV/AIDS programmes • Anaemia in women, men, and children • Malaria prevalence in children as a follow-up to the 2014-15 Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey • Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) in children • Key education indicators, including school attendance ratios, level of educational attainment, and literacy levels • The extent of disability • Early childhood development • The extent of gender-based violence

The information collected through the 2016 UDHS is intended to assist policymakers and program managers in evaluating and designing programs and strategies for improving the health of the country’s population.

Geographic coverage

National coverage

Analysis unit

• Household
• Individual
• Children age 0-5
• Woman age 15-49
• Man age 15-54

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sampling frame used for the 2016 UDHS is the frame of the Uganda National Population and Housing Census (NPHC), conducted in 2014; the sampling frame was provided by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics. The census frame is a complete list of all census enumeration areas (EAs) created for the 2014 NPHC. In Uganda, an EA is a geographic area that covers an average of 130 households. The sampling frame contains information about EA location, type of residence (urban or rural), and the estimated number of residential households.

The 2016 UDHS sample was stratified and selected in two stages. In the first stage, 697 EAs were selected from the 2014 Uganda NPHC: 162 EAs in urban areas and 535 in rural areas. One cluster from Acholi subregion was eliminated because of land disputes. Households constituted the second stage of sampling.

For further details on sample design, see Appendix A of the final report.

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Cleaning operations

All electronic data files for the 2016 UDHS were transferred via IFSS to the UBOS central office in Kampala, where they were stored on a password-protected computer. The data processing operation included registering and checking for inconsistencies, incompleteness, and outliers. Data editing and cleaning included structure and consistency checks to ensure completeness of work in the field. The central office also conducted secondary editing, which required resolution of computer-identified inconsistencies and coding of open-ended questions. The data were processed by four staff (two programmers and two data editors) who took part in the main fieldwork training. They were supervised by three senior staff from UBOS. Data editing was accomplished with CSPro software. Secondary editing and data processing were initiated in August 2016 and completed in January 2017.

Response rate

A total of 20,791 households were selected for the sample, of which 19,938 were occupied. Of the occupied households, 19,588 were successfully interviewed, which yielded a response rate of 98%.

In the interviewed households, 19,088 eligible women were identified for individual interviews. Interviews were completed with 18,506 women, yielding a response rate of 97%. In the subsample of households selected for the male survey, 5,676 eligible men were identified and 5,336 were successfully interviewed, yielding a response rate of 94%. Response rates were higher in rural than in urban areas, with the ruralurban difference being more pronounced among men (95% and 90%, respectively) than among women (98% and 95%, respectively).

Sampling error estimates

The estimates from a sample survey are affected by two types of errors: nonsampling errors and sampling errors. Nonsampling errors are the results of mistakes made in implementing data collection and data processing, such as failure to locate and interview the correct household, misunderstanding of the questions on the part of either the interviewer or the respondent, and data entry errors. Although numerous efforts were made during the implementation of the 2016 Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) to minimise this type of error, nonsampling errors are impossible to avoid and difficult to evaluate statistically.

Sampling errors, on the other hand, can be evaluated statistically. The sample of respondents selected in the 2016 UDHS is only one of many samples that could have been selected from the same population, using the same design and expected size. Each of these samples would yield results that differ somewhat from the results of the actual sample selected. Sampling errors are a measure of the variability among all possible samples. Although the degree of variability is not known exactly, it can be estimated from the survey results.

Sampling error is usually measured in terms of the standard error for a particular statistic (mean, percentage, etc.), which is the square root of the variance. The standard error can be used to calculate confidence intervals within which the true value for the population can reasonably be assumed to fall. For example, for any given statistic calculated from a sample survey, the value of that statistic will fall within a range of plus or minus two times the standard error of that statistic in 95% of all possible samples of identical size and design.

If the sample of respondents had been selected as a simple random sample, it would have been possible to use straightforward formulas for calculating sampling errors. However, the 2016 UDHS sample is the result of a multi-stage stratified design, and, consequently, it was necessary to use more complex formulas. Sampling errors are computed in SAS, using programs developed by ICF. These programs use the Taylor linearisation method to estimate variances for survey estimates that are means, proportions, or ratios. The Jackknife repeated replication method is used for variance estimation of more complex statistics such as fertility and mortality rates.

A more detailed description of estimates of sampling errors are presented in Appendix B of the survey final report.

Data appraisal

Data Quality Tables - Household age distribution - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed women - Age distribution of eligible and interviewed men - Completeness of reporting - Births by calendar years - Reporting of age at death in days - Reporting of age at death in months - Completeness of information on siblings - Sibship size and sex ratio of siblings - Pregnancy-related mortality trends

See details of the data quality tables in Appendix C of the survey final report.

Geographic coverage

National

Kind of data

Census/enumeration data [cen]

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Historical chart and dataset showing Uganda population growth rate by year from 1961 to 2023.

Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Uganda was reported at 236 sq. Km in 2022, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Uganda - Population density (people per sq. km) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Uganda rural population for 2023 was 35,576,357, a 1.97% increase from 2022.

<ul style='margin-top:20px;'>

<li>Uganda rural population for 2022 was <strong>34,889,566</strong>, a <strong>2.21% increase</strong> from 2021.</li>
<li>Uganda rural population for 2021 was <strong>34,136,762</strong>, a <strong>2.44% increase</strong> from 2020.</li>
<li>Uganda rural population for 2020 was <strong>33,323,884</strong>, a <strong>2.58% increase</strong> from 2019.</li>
</ul>Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.