Uganda

presidential republic

name: Kampala geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 33 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name is said to come from an African antelope, the impala

chief of state: President Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since 26 January 1986) head of government: Prime Minister Robinah NABBANJA (since 14 June 2021) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected members of Parliament or persons who qualify to be elected as members of Parliament election/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 5-year term (no term limits) most recent election date: 14 January 2021 election results: 2021: Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (NRM) 58.6%, Robert Kyagulanyi SSENTAMU (aka Bobi WINE) (NUP) 34.8%, Patrick Oboi AMURIAT (FDC) 3.2%, other 3.4% expected date of next election: 2026

legislature name: Parliament legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 529 (499 directly elected; 30 indirectly elected) electoral system: plurality/majority scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 1/14/2021 to 1/18/2021 parties elected and seats per party: National Resistance Movement (NRM) (336); National Unity Platform (NUP) (57); Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) (32); Independents (74); Other (30) percentage of women in chamber: 34.1% expected date of next election: January 2026

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Uganda (consists of the chief justice and at least 6 justices) judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president of the republic in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission, an 8-member independent advisory body, and approved by the National Assembly; justices serve until mandatory retirement at age 70 subordinate courts: Court of Appeal (also acts as the Constitutional Court); High Court (includes 12 High Court Circuits and 8 High Court Divisions); Industrial Court; Chief Magistrate Grade One and Grade Two Courts throughout the country; qadhis courts; local council courts; family and children courts

history: several previous; latest adopted 27 September 1995, promulgated 8 October 1995 amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the Assembly membership in the second and third readings; proposals affecting "entrenched clauses," including the sovereignty of the people, supremacy of the constitution, human rights and freedoms, the democratic and multiparty form of government, presidential term of office, independence of the judiciary, and the institutions of traditional or cultural leaders, also requires passage by referendum, ratification by at least two-thirds majority vote of district council members in at least two thirds of Uganda's districts, and assent of the president of the republic

ACP, AfDB, ATMIS, AU, C, COMESA, EAC, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITC, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCDF, UNCTAD, UNECA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNOCI, UNOPS, UNSOM, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFP, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

2% of GDP (2023 est.) 2.2% of GDP (2022 est.) 2.5% of GDP (2021 est.) 2.5% of GDP (2020 est.) 1.7% of GDP (2019 est.)

Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF): Land Force (includes marines), Air Force, Special Forces Command, Reserve Force Ministry of Internal Affairs: Uganda Police Force (2025) note 1: the Special Forces Command is a separate branch within the UPDF; it evolved from the former Presidential Guard Brigade and has continued to retain presidential protection duties in addition to its traditional missions, such as counterinsurgency note 2: the Uganda Police Force includes air, field, territorial, and marine units, as well as a presidential guard force note 3: in 2018, President MUSEVENI created a volunteer force of Local Defense Units under the military to beef up local security in designated parts of the country

18-22 years of age for voluntary military duty for men and women; 9-year service obligation (2025)

the responsibilities of the Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) include defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Uganda, assisting the civilian authorities in emergencies and natural disasters, contributing to regional security, participating in socio-economic development projects, conducting military diplomacy, and ensuring internal security, including against civil unrest, internal insurgency, and terrorism; in recent years it has beefed up its presence along the borders with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan; the UPDF participates in African and UN peacekeeping missions and is a key contributor to the East Africa Standby Force; the UPDF is constitutionally granted seats in parliament and is widely viewed as a key constituency for MUSEVENI; it has been used to break up rallies, raid opposition offices, and surveil rival candidates the military traces its history back to the formation of the Uganda Rifles in 1895 under the British colonial government; the Uganda Rifles were merged with the Central Africa Regiment and the East Africa Rifles to form the King s African Rifles (KAR) in 1902, which participated in both world wars, as well as the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya (1952-1960); in 1962, the Ugandan battalion of the KAR was transformed into the country's first military force, the Uganda Rifles, which was subsequently renamed the Uganda Army; the UPDF was established in 1995 from the former rebel National Resistance Army following the enactment of the 1995 Constitution of Uganda (2025)

estimated 3,000 Democratic Republic of Congo; up to 4,500 Somalia (African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia or AUSSOM) (2025)

$144.137 billion (2024 est.) $135.803 billion (2023 est.) $128.923 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$2,900 (2024 est.) $2,800 (2023 est.) $2,700 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

6.1% (2024 est.) 5.3% (2023 est.) 4.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

3.3% (2024 est.) 5.4% (2023 est.) 7.2% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

53.1% of GDP (2023 est.) note: central government debt as a % of GDP

$9.084 billion (2023 est.) $6.116 billion (2022 est.) $6.231 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$13.853 billion (2023 est.) $11.079 billion (2022 est.) $10.62 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

3% (2024 est.) 2.8% (2023 est.) 2.9% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

revenues: $7.616 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $10.043 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

sugar processing, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production

plantains, sugarcane, milk, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, vegetables, beans, potatoes, tea (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 50,863,850 (2025 est.) male: 24,835,513 female: 26,028,337

3.13% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 47% (male 11,747,745/female 11,427,932) 15-64 years: 50.6% (male 11,788,483/female 13,131,051) 65 years and over: 2.4% (2024 est.) (male 504,332/female 683,498)

38.91 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

4.61 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-2.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 69.7 years (2024 est.) male: 67.5 years female: 72 years

urban population: 26.8% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 5.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Baganda 16.5%, Banyankole 9.6%, Basoga 8.8%, Bakiga 7.1%, Iteso 7%, Langi 6.3%, Bagisu 4.9%, Acholi 4.4%, Lugbara 3.3%, other 32.1% (2014 est.)

English (official), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages and the language used most often in the capital), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili (official), Arabic

Protestant 45.1% (Anglican 32.0%, Pentecostal/Born Again/Evangelical 11.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.7%, Baptist .3%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, Muslim 13.7%, other 1.6%, none 0.2% (2014 est.)

total population: 69.1% (2016 est.) male: 78.5% (2016 est.) female: 61% (2016 est.)

copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold

al-Shabaab; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham - Democratic Republic of Congo (ISIS-DRC) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 1,796,597 (2024 est.) IDPs: 22,209 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 10,284 (2024 est.)

39 (2025)

total: 1,244 km (2014) narrow gauge: 1,244 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge

total subscriptions: 41.6 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 83 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 15% (2023 est.)