Economic, Demographic, and Political Background
Uganda is rated as “Partly Free” by Freedom House, with a 4.5/10 Freedom rating, a 4/10 civil liberties rating, and 5/10 political rights rating. The downward trend in the Freedom ratings are attributed to poor conduct in the February elections.
Geography
- Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
- Geography Notes: landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers
- Land Use: Arable land: 21.57%
Environmental Issues
Draining of wetlands for agricultural use, deforestation, overgrazing, soilerosion
People
- Population: 34,612,250
- Population Growth Rate: 3.576% (2011 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 3
- Death Rate: 11.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 33
- Urban Population: 13% of total population (2010)
Age Structure
- 0-14 years: 49.9% (male 8,692,239/female 8,564,571)
- 15-64 years: 48.1% (male 8,383,548/female 8,255,473)
- 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 291,602/female 424,817) (2011 est.)
Ethnic Groups
- Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%,
Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%, other 29.6% (2002 census)
Religions
- Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal 4.6%, Seventh
Literacy
- Literacy total population: 66.8% (Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write)
- Literacy male: 76.8%
- Literacy female: 57.7% (2002 census)
- Education expenditures: 3.3% of GDP (2009)
Health
- Infant mortality rate: 62.47 deaths/1,000 live births
- Country comparison to the world: 28
- Life expectancy at birth- total population: 53.24 years
- Country comparison to the world: 205
- Total fertility rate: 6.69 children born/woman (2011 est.)
- Health Expenditures: 8.2% of GDP (2009)
- HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 6.5% (2009 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 10
Government
- Name of Capital: Kampala (1.535 million)
- Independence: 9 October 1962 (from the UK) (Celebrated as a National holiday)
- Legal System: mixed legal system of English common law and customary law
- International Law Participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICC jurisdiction
- Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
- Chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni (since seizing power 26 January 1986); Vice President Edward Ssekandi (since 24 May 2011)
- Elections: The President reelected by popular vote for a five-year term; The next election is to be held in 2016.
Economy
Uganda has significant natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, small deposits of copper, gold, minerals, and oil. Agriculture is the most important sector, employing 80% of the workforce. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Beginning in 1986, the government has reformed the currency, increased prices on export crops, and improved civil service wages. Since 1990 economic reforms have produced solid economic growth based on infrastructure investments, incentives for production and exports, low inflation, and more lenient immigration policies. The global economic downturn has hurt Uganda's exports even though growth remains relatively strong. Rising food and fuel prices in 2011 led to protests. Instability in South Sudan is a risk for the Ugandan economy in 2012 because Uganda's main export partner is Sudan, and Uganda is a key destination for Sudanese refugees.
GDP:
Labor force - by occupation:
GDP:
- $45.9 billion (2011 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 95
- GDP - real growth rate: 6.4% (2011 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 37
- GDP - composition by sector:
- Agriculture: 21.8%
- Industry: 26.1%
- Services: 52.1% (2011 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
- Agriculture: 82%
- Industry: 5%
- Services: 13% (1999 est.)
- Population below poverty line: 35% (2001 est.)
- Distribution of family income - Gini Index: 44.3 (2009)
- Country comparison to the world: 44
- Investment (gross fixed): 23.9% of GDP (2011 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 71
Ten critical points outlined at 50th anniversary by President
- Fighting ideological disorientation
- Eliminating sectarianism
- Improving education to refine human resource
- Facilitating private sector-led economic growth
- Developing road, rail and electricity infrastructure
- Market expansion through regional integration
- Pursue industrialization for exports’ value addition
- Develop the service sector to create jobs
- Modernize agriculture to increase household incomes
- Deepen democratic governance
Resources
Agriculture
- Coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulpes, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
- Sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production
- Electricity - consumption: 1.958 billion kWh (2008 est.)
- Country comparison to the world: 135
- Coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural
Imports
- Capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Roads
- Total: 70,746 km
- Country comparison to the world: 67
- Paved: 16,272 km
- Unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)
Transnational Issues
- Armed fighting among hostile groups, rebles, armed gangs, and militias
- Refugees (country of origin): 215,700 (Sudan); 28,880 (Dem. Rep. of Congo); 24,900
- (Rwanda)
- IDPs (Internally displaced persons): 1.27 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following
(5) All material taken from CIA World Factbook