Uganda Population
Uganda had an estimated population of 51,384,894 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 31st most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.63% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of +2.70% a year.
Uganda at a glance
How Uganda's population is changing
Uganda's population is growing fast: +2.70% a year, which works out to about +1,388,391 people per year, or +3,801 a day. Births (34.4 per 1,000) and deaths (4.8 per 1,000) alone would give +2.97% a year; net migration removes about 119,059 people a year (−0.23%). Roughly one in every 160 people on Earth lives in Uganda.
Population of Uganda since 1960
In 1960, Uganda had 7,640,973 people. By 2025 that was 51,384,894 — 6.7× larger. The fastest growth came between 2012 and 2022, when the population rose by 38%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7,640,973 | — |
| 1970 | 10,321,603 | +35.1% |
| 1980 | 13,275,741 | +28.6% |
| 1990 | 17,569,897 | +32.3% |
| 2000 | 24,000,150 | +36.6% |
| 2010 | 32,390,802 | +35.0% |
| 2020 | 44,457,152 | +37.3% |
| 2025 | 51,384,894 | +15.6% |
Uganda from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Uganda at about 2,500,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 51,384,893 in 2025 (21× 1800) and projects 120,835,188 for 2100 in its medium scenario. That is still 135% growth over the rest of this century.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,500,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 2,947,359 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 3,774,052 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 5,750,917 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 24,000,158 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 51,384,893 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 85,431,201 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 111,470,710 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 120,835,188 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Uganda
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 51,384,894. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kampala | 4,880,943 | UN urban centre | 9.50% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Nansana | 532,800 | GeoNames settlement | 1.04% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 3 | Kira | 462,900 | GeoNames settlement | 0.90% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 4 | Bunamwaya | 413,400 | GeoNames settlement | 0.80% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Kyengera | 285,400 | GeoNames settlement | 0.56% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Jinja | 261,604 | UN urban centre | 0.51% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 7 | Mbarara | 231,926 | UN urban centre | 0.45% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 8 | Arua | 226,390 | UN urban centre | 0.44% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 9 | Kasangati | 207,800 | GeoNames settlement | 0.40% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Gulu | 197,090 | UN urban centre | 0.38% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Uganda compares
Uganda has almost the same population as Sudan (51,662,147).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Uganda | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #29 |  South Korea | 51,684,564 | +1% | compare → |
| #30 |  Sudan | 51,662,147 | +1% | compare → |
| #32 |  Spain | 49,355,143 | −4% | compare → |
| #33 |  Algeria | 47,435,312 | −8% | compare → |
Compare Uganda with any country →
Same region (Sub-Saharan Africa): Nigeria, Ethiopia, DR Congo, Tanzania, South Africa, Kenya.
Explore around Uganda
Land neighbours (5)
DR Congo 112,832,473 · 2.2× the population · compare
Tanzania 70,545,865 · 1.4× the population · compare
Kenya 57,532,493 · 1.1× the population · compare
Rwanda 14,569,341 · 3.5× smaller · compare
South Sudan 12,188,788 · 4.2× smaller · compare
Uganda's 5 neighbours together hold 267,668,960 people — 5.2× Uganda's population. The most populous is DR Congo (112,832,473).
In its region
Uganda is the 8th most populous of the 48 economies in Sub-Saharan Africa, holding 3.9% of the region's 1,321,654,217 people.
Rankings featuring Uganda
- Fastest-growing countries #21
- Highest birth rates #11
- Highest fertility rates #19
- Youngest populations (share aged 0–14) #10
Cities
Kampala, Nansana, Kira, Bunamwaya, Kyengera, Jinja, Mbarara, Arua — all Uganda's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Uganda when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.