Every figure below carries its named source and year. The Eco Index scores twelve pillars on the same scale everywhere; seven are measured from published data with fixed thresholds, five are assessed from the named sources.
Uganda at a Glance.
The score, and the four numbers that set the tone. 12 equally-weighted pillars, every pillar sourced.
Compare with:
Renewable power
97%
of electricity
Food imported
11%
of merchandise imports · ~US$1,975m a year
The Eco Index across 12 pillars · scored 0 to 5 · World Bank, OWID, WHO/UNICEF JMP, FiBL, Protected Planet, IUCN, UNESCO (2023-24)
Water
Food & farming
Plant-based
Organic
Conservation
Wildlife
Materials
Pollution
Recycling
Energy
Culture
Heritage
Facts That Surprise People About Uganda.
The numbers and firsts that change how you see Uganda, the sobering and the remarkable. Every one is dated and linked to its source.
SoberingFood
Child undernutrition costs 5.6% of GDP
UNICEF estimates that child undernutrition costs Uganda the equivalent of 5.6% of GDP a year, about US$899 million, based on 2009 data. Half of children under five are anaemic.
Source: UNICEF Uganda, Nutrition · 2009
SoberingHealth
Malaria drugs are starting to fail
WHO has confirmed partial resistance to artemisinin, the backbone of modern malaria treatment, in Uganda, as well as in Eritrea, Rwanda and Tanzania.
Source: World Health Organization, Malaria fact sheet · 2025
SoberingHealth
Climate is bringing more disease outbreaks
At the 2024 launch of Uganda's climate and health adaptation plan, speakers warned that droughts, floods and outbreaks of cholera, malaria, yellow fever and measles had become increasingly common. Uganda was the second country after Nepal to publish such a plan.
RemarkablePeople
More than two million refugees and asylum seekers
Uganda hosted 2,050,820 refugees and asylum seekers at the end of September 2026, according to government and UNHCR figures.
Source: UNHCR, Uganda Comprehensive Refugee Response Portal · 2026
RemarkablePeople
Refugees are given land to farm
New arrivals in Uganda receive a plot of land and a starter kit, and can move freely, though they cannot become citizens. Nakivale, in the south west, is the oldest refugee settlement in Africa.
RemarkableNature
Almost half the world's mountain gorillas
A 2018 survey counted at least 459 mountain gorillas in Bwindi and the adjoining Sarambwe reserve, out of a world total of 1,063.
The History of Uganda.
Uganda holds exceptionally deep living heritage across its kingdoms and peoples. Royal Kiganda dances such as Bakisimba, Nankasa and Muwogola, Acholi Larakaraka and Bwola, and Ankole Ekitaguriro are still danced to ngoma drumming, amadinda and akadinda xylophones and the endongo lyre and adungu harp.
Where the name comes from
From Buganda, the kingdom at the centre of the territory, meaning the country of the Ganda people. 'Uganda' is the Swahili form. Source: national and regional toponymic records.
The land itself: a plateau ringed by mountains. Its high point is Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley, 5,109 m. Source: national mapping and survey records.
Where it starts
A tool industry named after a place here
An entire African Stone Age tool industry, the Sangoan, is named after Sango Bay on Lake Victoria, where it was first identified, and dates to roughly 500,000 to 300,000 years ago. Communities lived across the Great Lakes region for tens of thousands of years after that, and microliths at the Nsongezi rock shelter in the Kagera valley record Later Stone Age life continuing alongside farming societies. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries the polity remembered as Kitara held territory from Lake Albert east to Lake Victoria, and the earthworks at Bigo bya Mugenyi show organised labour at scale.
How it got here
Four kingdoms, then a protectorate
The Babiito dynasty succeeded the Bachwezi, and the kingdoms of Bunyoro and Tooro formed alongside Buganda and Ankole, each with its own court, law and succession. Bunyoro fought a long war against British colonial expansion between 1872 and 1899 before being subdued. Britain declared the Uganda Protectorate in 1894 and ruled substantially through Buganda. Independence came on 9 October 1962.
The timeline
Stone Age
Sango Bay.
The Sangoan, a Stone Age tool industry, is named after Sango Bay in Masaka District. Its tools have been found in western Uganda along the Kagera River valley and on hills around Mbarara. Source
Later Stone Age
The lakes and the forest.
Excavations at rock shelters in the south east of the Lake Victoria Basin, just across the border in Tanzania, show Later Stone Age hunter-gatherers who hunted and fished. Pottery traditions found there, including the Iron Age Urewe ware, link the basin with parts of Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. Source
c. AD 1000
Nsongezi rock shelter.
Re-excavated in 1961, the Nsongezi rock shelter was dated to about AD 1000, when Stone Age hunting and gathering peoples were still living alongside, and slowly being absorbed into, settled farming communities. Source
2,000 to 3,000 years ago
Farming arrives.
Agriculture reached Uganda 2,000 to 3,000 years ago and spread quickly over the west of the country. Source
14th to 16th century
Bigo bya Mugyenyi.
About 10 square kilometres of earthwork trenches beside the Katonga River, which oral tradition links to the legendary Bacwezi. Source
Late 15th century onward
Bunyoro, Buganda, Ankole.
As Luo migrants moved south into Bunyoro-Kitara, several kingdoms emerged, including Buganda and Ankole, all sharing a common Bacwezi heritage. Bunyoro remained the largest and most influential until the end of the 17th century. Source
1870 to 1898
The Anglo-Bunyoro wars.
Under Kabalega, who ruled Bunyoro from 1870 to 1898, the kingdom put up a prolonged resistance to the British conquest of Uganda. Source
1894
The Uganda Protectorate.
Britain declares a protectorate, ruling substantially through Buganda. Source
1962
Independence.
Self-government was inaugurated on 1 March 1962 and the last elections before independence followed. The Uganda People's Congress under Milton Obote took 37 seats to the Democratic Party's 24, while Buganda chose indirect election and its Lukiiko nominated 21 representatives. That government received the instruments of independence on 9 October 1962. Source
Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Department of Museums and Monuments, Museums and Monuments Policy · University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center, Uganda archaeology · University of Pennsylvania African Studies Center, Uganda history · UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Bigo bya Mugyenyi tentative list entry · Parliament of Uganda, History of Parliament · Richard Reid, Kabalega (Kabarega) of Bunyoro, The Encyclopedia of War, Wiley · Mwitondi et al., Preliminary report on the archaeological investigation of the Mara Region, southeast of the Lake Victoria Basin, Southern African Field Archaeology 21
Nature and Biodiversity in Uganda.
About 16% of Uganda's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), spread across ten national parks including Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo. Gorilla and chimpanzee tourism helps fund ranger patrols and community revenue sharing, which supports enforcement. Encroachment for farming, charcoal and wetland reclamation remains a serious pressure.
Is wild Uganda protected? 16.1% of the land is, against a 30% target for 2030
How protected is nature in Uganda?
Forest cover11.9%
Terrestrial protected area16.1%
322 listed as threatened.
Found only here. Albertine Rift endemics; the mountain gorilla, shared with Rwanda and the DRC
The watchlist
ThreatenedAfrican Pygmy Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedGyps africanus Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedAfrican elephant (Loxodonta africana) Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedPiliocolobus tephrosceles Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (mammal).
ThreatenedRuppell's griffon (Gyps rueppellii) Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedNecrosyrtes monachus Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
ThreatenedTrigonoceps occipitalis Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (bird).
What is still here, and what is gone?
Tap a species for the honest status.
Closest to being lost, by name
African Pygmy Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Uganda. GBIF holds 3 verified occurrence records.
Gyps africanus
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Uganda. GBIF holds 228 verified occurrence records.
Ruppell's griffon (Gyps rueppellii)
Critically Endangered, the last IUCN category before Extinct in the Wild, and still recorded in Uganda. GBIF holds 141 verified occurrence records.
Species named here are drawn from GBIF occurrence records for Uganda filtered to the IUCN Red List threatened categories. Species are listed where GBIF holds occurrence records for them in this country. Record counts are not published here because the figure cannot be reproduced from a public GBIF query.
Who is putting it back
Nature reserve in Kabarole, mapped and named in the open record for Uganda. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Bugisa sub-region, mapped and named in the open record for Uganda. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Central Region, mapped and named in the open record for Uganda. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Western Region, mapped and named in the open record for Uganda. OpenStreetMap.
Botanical garden in Western Region, mapped and named in the open record for Uganda. OpenStreetMap.
Water and Ocean in Uganda.
Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink. Many rural households rely on untreated lake, river or borehole water, which drives recurring cholera outbreaks.
Does Uganda have enough fresh water? Yes, with headroom
18.1% of people here have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Coverage is well short of universal, so a visitor should not assume the tap is safe.
Cleanest water: The crater lakes near Fort Portal and Rwenzori streams
How much fresh water does Uganda have, per person?
824 m³
Uganda
1,000 m³
the UN “water scarce” line
Uganda withdraws about 637 million cubic metres of fresh water a year (2022). That is 5.8% of the fresh water actually available to it, which FAO counts as no water stress. Of what is taken, farming takes 41%, homes and towns 51%, industry 8%. Source: FAO AQUASTAT.
Where does the sewage go?
20.4%
of people have safely managed sanitation
20.4% of people here use a safely managed sanitation service, meaning waste is contained, emptied and treated rather than reaching the ground or the sea untreated (2024, World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP, SDG 6.2.1). The rest is what the rivers and the coast receive.
Is the tap water safe in Uganda?
18.1% of people have safely managed drinking water at home (2024, WHO/UNICEF JMP). Renewable fresh water works out at about 824 cubic metres per person a year (World Bank).
How hard is the water supply being pushed?
Of every 10 buckets nature refills, 1 are already taken. Withdrawals run at 5.8% of what Uganda renews internally each year (2022, World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT). That is inside the 25% mark generally treated as water stress, so the supply has headroom.
When is the best time to visit Uganda? Tap your month.
Tap your month.
How much fresh water does Uganda actually have?
Nature renews about 824 cubic metres of fresh water per person per year here. That ranks Uganda 51 of 208 countries measured, putting it in the drier half of the world. The UN treats anything under 1,000 cubic metres as water scarce, and this is below that line. World Bank / FAO AQUASTAT.
Food and Drink in Uganda.
Agriculture employs around two thirds of Ugandans, and the country is self-sufficient in staple food production. Cooking bananas (matoke), cassava, dry beans, sweet potatoes, rice, millet and sorghum are the main staples, and only limited volumes of wheat, vegetable oil, rice and sugar are imported. Most of the country has two rainy seasons a year, which allows two harvests of maize, beans, millet and sorghum.
Where does the food in Uganda come from?
10.7% imported
about US$1,975m a year
On the plate: Matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans, groundnuts and cooked greens
1 of 10
bites are imported
The island buys in more food energy than it eats. About US$1,975m a year leaves the country to pay for it. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
About 10.7% of everything Uganda buys in from abroad is food, roughly 1 in every 10 imported items on the dock (2024, World Bank). Farming itself is 26.1% of the economy and 80.3% of the land is agricultural, of which 34.4% is arable. The green slice is roughly what still grows here.
What is killing people in Uganda? The imported diet.
Cause of death, and the diet behind it.
Non-communicable diseases, all combined36.9%
Diabetes2.2%
There is no national count. At Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda, a study of 62 patients with diabetic foot ulcers between February and September 2021 found that 56.5 per cent ended up having part of a lower limb removed; 22.6 per cent had a major amputation. Source: Open Access Surgery, 2022.
Adults living with overweight or obesity. 23.8%.
Can Uganda feed itself?
43.6%
Arable land
80.3%
Agricultural land
15,171,861
Farmers
17,050,245
Arable acres
26.1%
Agriculture, share of GDP
Harvest: Two harvests a year; grain harvests around June to July and December to January, bananas year round
Feeding itself
Agriculture employs around two thirds of Ugandans and the country grows most of what it eats. Staples such as matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans and groundnuts come from smallholder plots, and food import dependence is low.
Certification
Certified organic farmland is about 0.8% of agricultural land (FiBL, 2020), which places Uganda in a low band by area. In practice Uganda has one of the largest populations of certified organic farmers in Africa and a genuine organic export sector in coffee, cotton and cocoa, and most smallholdings use few or no synthetic inputs by default.
Water for crops
Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink.
Why the organic number looks like that. Certification covers only part of what is grown cleanly, so a small certified share is a gap in the paperwork rather than proof that nothing is. What the official land record does show: 80.3% of the country is agricultural land and 34.4% is arable (2023, World Bank). Certification is paid for per farm per year by a foreign body, which prices out smallholders, so the organic number reads worse than the practice.
What actually grows here
PlantainsSugarcaneMaizeCassavaSweet potatoesVegetablesBeansPotatoesTea
The food that already fits
The plant-based kitchen here is not an import. By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Uganda are plantains and cooking bananas, sugarcane, maize, cassava and sweet potatoes (FAO, FAOSTAT crop production, 2024). That is what the land itself puts on a plate.
Buy direct where residents buy: Barakala Market, Bwaise Farmers' Market, Clothing Market, Gayaza Market, Gulu Main Market, Gulu Market. Each is a mapped, named marketplace, so the money stays with the seller rather than the importer. OpenStreetMap.
Not yet checked by us. Plant based kitchens listed publicly: Ijuru Plant Bliss, vegan delivery kitchen in Bugolobi, Kampala: breakfast, brunch and lunch delivered; Juice n Joy Uganda, plant based juice bar in Kampala: fresh juices and smoothies; Avadh Sweets House, vegetarian Indian restaurant on Martin Road, Kampala: mostly vegan Indian food and sweets; Cafe Tomato, vegetarian cafe in Ntinda, Kampala: meat free menu with vegan dishes. Tell us how they are.
Is this grown in Uganda?
Tap a food for the honest answer.
CassavaSweet potatoMilletBeansGroundnutsCooked greens
World Bank Open Data · FAO, FAOSTAT crop production · World Health Organization · FAO AQUASTAT · Open Access Surgery 2022, Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Surgical Characteristics, Treatment Modalities and Short-Term Treatment Outcomes at a Tertiary Hospital in South-Western Uganda · HappyCow, Kampala, Uganda listings (print page) · FEWS NET, Uganda market fundamentals, January 2017 · World Bank, Employment in agriculture (% of total employment), Uganda
Climate and Energy in Uganda.
Uganda's electricity is almost entirely renewable, with large hydropower on the Nile (plants such as Bujagali, Isimba and Karuma) supplying roughly 90% or more of generation and the grid as a whole close to fully renewable. Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fraction of the global average. The country has a low-emission development strategy and updated climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. A real forward risk is the Lake Albert oil development and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which could raise emissions and shift Uganda towards fossil-fuel exports.
What powers Uganda?
Renewable 97.1%Fossil 2.9%
Umeme, a private company, ran Uganda's power distribution under a 20 year government concession signed in 2005. The government chose not to renew it, Umeme handed over on 31 March 2025, and the state owned Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) took over all distribution at and below 33 kV from 1 April 2025, under licences the Electricity Regulatory Authority issued on 31 December 2024. The government set Umeme's buyout at US$118.4 million against the US$234 million Umeme had asked for, and Umeme disputed the figure. In May 2026 the energy minister ended the UEDCL board chair's term and sent the managing director on forced leave pending a review of the company, after first quarter energy losses of 18.11 per cent against a target of 13.65 per cent.
Climate pollution per person
The safe amount, what the planet can absorb
2 tonnes
One person here
0.17 tonnes
The world average, for comparison
4.7 tonnes
The worst it ever got
0.17 tonnes
The grid
Uganda's electricity is almost entirely renewable, with large hydropower on the Nile (plants such as Bujagali, Isimba and Karuma) supplying roughly 90% or more of generation and the grid as a whole close to fully renewable. Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fraction of the global average.
Pollution
Air quality is moderate to poor, with a modelled PM2.5 annual mean around 31 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2023), driven by charcoal and biomass burning and vehicle smoke in Kampala. Uganda has legislated bans on thin plastic bags (kaveera) more than once, but enforcement is weak and litter is common in towns.
Water stress
Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink.
What pollutes most here
1The grid The share of electricity still generated from fossil fuel.10%
2Industry Urban charcoal and biomass smoke, and emerging oil development around Lake Albert.named
3Air Modelled annual mean against a WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.31.2
4On the record Air quality is moderate to poor, with a modelled PM2.5 annual mean around 31 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2023), driven by charcoal and biomass burning and vehicle smoke in Kampala.
What has Uganda promised on climate?
Electricity renewable today90% (2021)
Land protected, against a 30% target16.1% by 2025
Measured on delivery, 90% of electricity is already renewable (2021, World Bank), so 10% of the grid is still to be converted. The pledge on file is measured here against what has actually been delivered, not taken on its own (UNFCCC NDC Registry, CBD Kunming-Montreal Target 3).
The biggest line item
One return flight against a whole year of living.
A resident's entire year0.17 t CO2e
Safe-climate budget, per year2 t CO2e
Los Angeles return, economy2.73 t CO2e
Sydney return, economy2.28 t CO2e
New York return, economy2.05 t CO2e
Singapore return, economy1.43 t CO2e
London return, economy1.17 t CO2e
How much CO2 does flying to Uganda emit?
Tap where you would fly from. One return flight, economy.
Firsts on climate finance. In October 2025 the Green Climate Fund board approved US$31 million for Uganda as a payment for more than 8 million tonnes of verified carbon dioxide reductions from forest conservation in 2016 and 2017. The finance ministry says this made Uganda the first African country to secure result based climate finance of US$31 million. In August 2026 the finance ministry's climate finance unit said Uganda plans its first sovereign green bond, of up to US$500 million, early in 2027, and the EU has committed nearly 20 million euros through its Global Green Bond Initiative to help cover issuance costs and lower the coupon.
Climate Watch (WRI) · UNFCCC NDC Registry · World Bank Open Data · UK DESNZ greenhouse gas conversion factors · Business Times Uganda, 10 key things you should know about the UEDCL takeover from Umeme · Daily Monitor, UEDCL bosses sacked over poor performance · Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Uganda secures $31 million from Green Climate Fund · The Independent via AllAfrica, Govt targets Shs1.86 trillion in inaugural sovereign green bond next year
AI and Data Centres in Uganda.
Every prompt runs on a machine in a building on somebody’s grid. What that costs the planet depends less on the prompt than on what is burning to power it. Here is what would power one in Uganda.
Data centres
2
Registered colocation and interconnection facilities, PeeringDB, 2026
Grid renewable
97.1 %
What a machine here runs on.
What powers a data centre in Uganda?
Running AI here is about as clean as it currently gets.
Renewable 97.1%Fossil 2.9%
Cooling water. Every one of those halls runs on the national grid, which is 90% renewable today (World Bank). A data centre is only as clean as the electricity behind it, so the same figure that decides this country's climate score also decides the footprint of the AI running inside it. Cooling water use is not separately published by facility, and no operator here reports it.
The rules. Uganda has 2 colocation and interconnection facilities on the public PeeringDB register, concentrated in Kampala (2), alongside 1 internet exchange (UIXP). Named sites include Communications House, Raxio, UG1, Kampala, Uganda.
Economy and Tourism in Uganda.
97% residents to 3% visitors across a year. 1,543,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 51,384,894 people who live here (2025, World Bank / UN Tourism).
Where a visitor dollar goes in Uganda
473k
Visitors a year
0.0
Visitors per resident
How deep in debt is Uganda?· for every $100 Uganda earns in a year, it owes…
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · today
$ 55What is owed now, for every $100 of national income (2026).
IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026signed, the creditors
Pay to the order of: the creditorsmemo · projected 2031
$ 53The IMF's own forecast has this falling to $53 by 2031.
IMF World Economic Outlook projection, 2031signed, the forecast
For every $100 Uganda earns in a year, it owes $55 (2026, IMF World Economic Outlook). The interest on that is paid before schools, clinics or coastline get their turn.
Where does a tourist dollar actually go in Uganda?
Play one tourist dollar around the board. Every square is a measured fact from this page.
START!
1
GO: a visitor lands
$100 goes on the table. 1,543,000 international arrivals in 2019 against 51,384,894 residents, one visitor a year for every 33 residents (World Bank / UN Tourism).
$100 in play2
The bed
Who owns the largest places to stay in Uganda is not published in the records we can check, so this square is left open rather than guessed. Where a listing names its owner, it is shown in the ownership table below.
not published3
The plate
Food is only 10.7% of everything Uganda imports (2024, World Bank), so most of a meal is bought from producers inside the country. Eating what the land here actually grows, plantains, sugarcane, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, vegetables, beans, potatoes, tea, keeps that money with the grower.
mostly home-grown4
The power
90% of the electricity is renewable (2021, World Bank), so the energy on the bill is mostly generated inside the country rather than shipped in.
made at home5
What actually stays
Of the two parts of a visitor's bill that can be measured here, the plate and the power stay inside Uganda. This is not an economy where a visitor's money drains away, and the board is shorter for it.
most of it6
Pay the bank first
Uganda owes $55 for every $100 it earns (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). The interest is paid before anything else on this board.
$55 per $1007
No plan B
35.4% of everything Uganda sells abroad is pearls, gemstones and precious metals (2023, UN Comtrade). One market moving takes the whole board with it.
35.4% one export8
Community chest
Tourism earns 9.2% of everything Uganda makes from exports (2020, World Bank / UN Tourism). That is how much of the economy depends on the game continuing.
9.2% of exports9
The flight
Getting here is usually the biggest single line on the bill. From Los Angeles a return economy seat is 2.73 t CO2, on the UK Government's published conversion factors. It is the one part of the trip this board cannot reduce.
2.73 t CO210
Back to GO
The economy turns over about US$73 billion a year (IMF World Economic Outlook, 2026 projection). Every lap of this board is a choice about how much of it stays.
US$73bnGDPUS$62.0bn
Agriculture, share of GDP26.1%
Visitors a year473,000
Visitors per resident0
Residents~51,384,894
Agriculture
Farming is 26.1% of the economy. Agriculture employs around two thirds of Ugandans and the country grows most of what it eats.
Natural materials
Uganda keeps a living natural materials tradition in barkcloth, made from the inner bark of the Mutuba fig and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Basketry, mat weaving and home grown cotton add to a real craft base that still relies on plant fibres rather than plastics.
Energy
Uganda's electricity is almost entirely renewable, with large hydropower on the Nile (plants such as Bujagali, Isimba and Karuma) supplying roughly 90% or more of generation and the grid as a whole close to fully renewable. Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fraction of the global average.
Who owns the biggest hotels in Uganda?
By rooms · company records and press.
Kyambura Gorge Lodge · ~8 roomsIndependentnot published
Visitors, over time
20151,303k
20161,323k
20171,402k
20181,506k
20191,543k
2020473k
International tourism receipts run at about US$0.52 billion in 2020 (World Bank / UN Tourism). That is 9.2% of everything the country earns from exports.
How much of your money actually stays here?
Tap the holiday you are planning.
Visiting Uganda, whoever you are.
Resort guest, villa renter, family, nomad or backpacker. The honest playbook for each, from the same sourced numbers.
Already booked a resort? · the rescue list
Five swaps that move your money back on-island
1. Eat where the country eats Choose kitchens cooking matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans, groundnuts and cooked greens over imported menus.
2. Book with a local operator Never the lobby desk. The margin on a tour is the part that stays.
3. Stay somewhere locally owned Ownership decides where the room rate books. Eco stays
4. Use the transport residents use Light aircraft to the parks, 4x4 with a driver, matatu minibuses and boda boda motorbikes
5. Buy the craft, not the souvenir Natural-materials work made here pays the maker directly; imported gifts pay a shipping line.
Swipe
First time here
A green, water rich equatorial country whose forests shelter roughly half the planet's mountain gorillas, though safe drinking water and enforced pollution rules lag well behind.
Best time: The drier seasons
Getting around
Light aircraft to the parks, 4x4 with a driver, matatu minibuses and boda boda motorbikes
Transport is where the fare either stays or leaves.
Eating here
The everyday plate is matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans, groundnuts and cooked greens. The everyday Ugandan plate is built on plants: matoke, cassava, sweet potato, beans, groundnut sauce and cooked greens such as dodo and nakati.
Eating what the country grows is the cheapest way to cut the import bill.
Good to know
Cash widely used; UGX. Gorilla permits sell out months ahead; carry small notes.
Rate my hotel. Tap yours for the honest verdict.
Ownership from company records and press.
Who owns the place to stay
Kyambura Gorge LodgeIndependent · 8 rooms
The one property listed here does not publish who ultimately owns it, so no claim is made either way. Ownership is what decides how much of a room rate stays in the country, which is why we show it when a listing states it.
Society and Governance in Uganda.
How well is Uganda actually run?
Governance, measured · World Bank WGI
Four measured answers, none of them opinion. Averaged across corruption control, delivery and accountability, Uganda scores 36 out of 100 (2024, World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators). That matters here because every pledge on this page is only as good as the machinery meant to deliver it.
What is daily life in Uganda really like? Measured
Getting around, breathing, throwing away, learning. The honest checklist.
TransportAirWaterWastePower
✓How you get around Light aircraft to the parks, 4x4 with a driver, matatu minibuses and boda boda motorbikes
77.0%
literacy. Public spending on education runs at 2.6% of GDP and 8.5% of all government spending (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2022). The most recent gross secondary enrolment ratio UNESCO has published for Uganda is 24.1%, and it dates from 2007.
Made in Uganda.
Uganda keeps a living natural materials tradition in barkcloth, made from the inner bark of the Mutuba fig and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Basketry, mat weaving and home grown cotton add to a real craft base that still relies on plant fibres rather than plastics. Every step of processing done at home is value that stops leaving the country.
What Uganda actually sells the world
The single biggest thing Uganda sells the world is pearls, gemstones and precious metals, 35.4% of all exports in 2023 (about US$2.23 billion, UN Comtrade). The next four are coffee, tea and spices at 17.0%, cereals at 3.0%, mineral fuels and oils at 3.0%, ceramics at 2.9%.
Sells now · 35.4% of exports
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals
Pearls, gemstones and precious metals is 35.4% of everything Uganda sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$2.23 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 17.0% of exports
Coffee, tea and spices
Coffee, tea and spices is 17.0% of everything Uganda sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$1.07 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 3.0% of exports
Cereals
Cereals is 3.0% of everything Uganda sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.19 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 3.0% of exports
Mineral fuels and oils
Mineral fuels and oils is 3.0% of everything Uganda sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.19 billion. UN Comtrade.
Sells now · 2.9% of exports
Ceramics
Ceramics is 2.9% of everything Uganda sold abroad in 2023, worth about US$0.18 billion. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.8% of imports
Machinery and mechanical appliances
Uganda imported US$0.91 billion of machinery and mechanical appliances in 2023, 7.8% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 7.2% of imports
Vehicles
Uganda imported US$0.84 billion of vehicles in 2023, 7.2% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.7% of imports
Plastics
Uganda imported US$0.56 billion of plastics in 2023, 4.7% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
Buys in · 4.6% of imports
Electrical machinery and electronics
Uganda imported US$0.54 billion of electrical machinery and electronics in 2023, 4.6% of everything it bought abroad, and sells none of it back. Every point of that is a business that could be built at home rather than shipped in. UN Comtrade.
The maths for an entrepreneur. Uganda produces about US$62 billion a year, which is roughly US$1,206 per person (2025, World Bank). Farming is 26.1% of that, while food is 10.7% of everything the country imports. With 34.4% of the land arable, the raw material for that is already in the ground.
See the verified makersCulture in Uganda.
Baakisimba, the Kiganda royal dance
Originally a royal court dance of the Baganda, baakisimba asserted the authority of the king as head of Baganda society.
Mainly in the dry season after the harvest
Larakaraka
A courtship dance of the Acholi of northern Uganda, performed mainly by young people looking for partners, and still popular today.
Bwola
A dance of the Acholi of north-central Uganda that can bring together hundreds of people in carefully choreographed movements.
Ekitaguriro
A traditional dance of the Iru of Ankole, sung as call and response between a soloist and a choir and started by the singers rather than the drummers.
Ngoma drummingDrums are played across Uganda, and the word ngoma often means both drumming and dance. Royal drums were treated as living beings, and owning one marked social power.
AmadindaA royal xylophone of Buganda, played by two or more musicians, which is also heard outside the palace at public events.
Does Uganda protect its heritage by law?
Partly, and the gaps say as much as the protections.
What is kept alive. Uganda holds exceptionally deep living heritage across its kingdoms and peoples. Royal Kiganda dances such as Bakisimba, Nankasa and Muwogola, Acholi Larakaraka and Bwola, and Ankole Ekitaguriro are still danced to ngoma drumming, amadinda and akadinda xylophones and the endongo lyre and adungu harp. Ancestral traditions remain widely alive, including the Empaako naming system, Bigwala gourd trumpet music, the Imbalu circumcision ceremony of the Bagisu and barkcloth making of the Baganda, several inscribed on UNESCO's heritage lists.
Who it belongs to. Uganda has strong living communities, from the Baganda to the Batwa and Karamojong, and community tourism is real, with gorilla permit revenue sharing funding schools, clinics and enterprises around Bwindi. The record is not clean: the Batwa were evicted from Bwindi and Mgahinga when the parks were gazetted and remain marginalised conservation refugees.
Only here. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to roughly half of all remaining wild mountain gorillas.
The Future of Uganda.
Three futures for Uganda, every one run forward from measured data.
Where the making actually happens
Named cultural and craft sites on the open map: Annah's Craft Centre (Rubanda), Katwe Tourist Information Centre (KATIC) and Craft Shop (Kasese), Uganda Museum (Kampala), ST. LUKE COMMUNITY MUSEUM (Kyotera), RAILWAY MUSEUM (Jinja City). OpenStreetMap. Named craft workshops on the open map: African Art Crafts Market, Crafts Africa, Exposure Africa Ltd, Flock of Birds, Kabale Crafts Store, Kanya Kankara Group & Drum.
Every measured trend on one line
Run forward at the pace already recorded.
World Bank open data, recorded series
How much forest is left?
Forest cover moved from 19.9% to 11.9% across 29 recorded years.
How clean is the grid?
Renewable electricity moved from 97.7% to 90% across 16 recorded years.
How much climate pollution per person?
CO2 per person moved from 0.049 t to 0.17 t across 29 recorded years.
How many people visit?
Tourist arrivals moved from 160k to 473k across 25 recorded years.
How much land is protected?
Protected land moved from 16.1% to 16.1% across 12 recorded years.
How many people still farm?
Farm workforce moved from 61.4% to 64.9% across 30 recorded years.
How much land is farmed?
Agricultural land moved from 60.7% to 80.3% across 29 recorded years.
How fast is it urbanising?
Urban population moved from 10.7% to 31.9% across 30 recorded years.
Is the air getting cleaner?
Air pollution moved from 28.6 µg/m³ to 31.2 µg/m³ across 28 recorded years.
Is water getting scarcer?
Fresh water per person moved from 1,887 m³ to 824 m³ across 27 recorded years.
Is diet-related disease rising?
Adult overweight moved from 8.39% to 23.8% across 27 recorded years.
Who has power?
Electricity access moved from 6.8% to 55.3% across 29 recorded years.
Is income rising?
GDP per person moved from 279 to 1,206 across 30 recorded years.
How fast is it growing?
Population moved from 20,666k to 51,385k across 30 recorded years.
What share of all energy is renewable?
Renewable energy use moved from 96.5% to 90.9% across 27 recorded years.
How much energy does one person use?
Energy per person moved from 398 kg to 503 kg across 29 recorded years.
How much land and sea is protected together?
Protected area, total moved from 16.1% to 16.1% across 12 recorded years.
How long do people live?
Life expectancy moved from 47.7 yrs to 68.5 yrs across 29 recorded years.
How much does a hectare of cereal produce?
Cereal yield moved from 1,571 kg/ha to 1,920 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How much fertiliser goes on the land?
Fertiliser use moved from 0.25 kg/ha to 3.19 kg/ha across 29 recorded years.
How many people still live rurally?
Rural population moved from 89.3% to 68.1% across 30 recorded years.
How much value per cubic metre of water?
Water productivity moved from 29.6 $/m3 to 69.3 $/m3 across 27 recorded years.
How much goes on health?
Health spending moved from 5.08% to 4.24% across 23 recorded years.
How much forest is there in total?
Forest area moved from 39,744 km2 to 23,677 km2 across 30 recorded years.
How much electricity per person?
Electric power use moved from 23.5 kWh to 98.7 kWh across 29 recorded years.
How have agriculture emissions moved?
Agriculture emissions moved from 10.76 to 30.77 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have building emissions moved?
Building emissions moved from 4.76 to 11.23 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have energy emissions moved?
Energy emissions moved from 5.57 to 18.29 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have industrial processes emissions moved?
Industrial Processes emissions moved from 0.02 to 0.72 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have manufacturing/construction emissions moved?
Manufacturing/Construction emissions moved from 0.18 to 2.08 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
How have transportation emissions moved?
Transportation emissions moved from 0.61 to 4.21 MtCO2e across 33 recorded years.
Climate Watch (WRI), historical emissions
Worst caseCurrent pathBest case
Worst case
Every measured decline continues at the pace already recorded. The weakest pillar, organic farming at 1/5, is the one that gives way first.
Computed from: recorded series extended with no policy change
What the best case actually asks for
Lift organic farming
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Uganda's record. Certified organic farmland is about 0.8% of agricultural land (FiBL, 2020), which places Uganda in a low band by area.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift recycling
It scores 1 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Uganda's record. There is no reliable municipal recycling rate. What recovery happens is largely informal: waste pickers collect PET bottles, scrap metal and cardboard, and organic waste is often composted or fed to livestock. Formal kerbside recycling systems are minimal.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Lift water
It scores 2 out of 5 today, among the weakest parts of Uganda's record. Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem.
measured each year
Costs: spending and enforcement, not new technology
Government and Goals in Uganda.
Who is in charge of Uganda now · Office-holders from the UN Protocol and Liaison Service public list of Heads of State and Heads of Government, 20 October 2026. Legislature and election dates from IFES ElectionGuide. Constitution dates from the Constitute Project. Governance scores from the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators 2024.
Robinah Nabbanja
Prime Minister
Robinah Nabbanja is the head of government of Uganda, in office since 14 June 2021. Every climate, protection and energy pledge on this page is delivered, or not, under this administration.
Public opinion, measured
Voice and accountability, the freedom to question government scores 39.2 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 39.7 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Control of corruption scores 25.8 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 25.4 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Political stability and absence of violence scores 50.4 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Up from 47.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Rule of law scores 47.6 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Unchanged from 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Regulatory quality scores 45.3 out of 100 in 2025. On this World Bank scale, 100 is the strongest governance measured. Down from 46.5 in 2024. World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025 data (updated 25 September 2026)
Robinah NabbanjaPrime Minister
ParliamentLegislature, unicameral
Last election15 January 2026
Constitution1995, as revised to 2017
Government typepresidential republic
Uganda national goals: what has been pledged, and how far it has got · each pledge measured against this country's own recorded delivery
2030
30% of land protected
! behindTarget 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted by more than 190 parties in December 2022. Uganda currently protects 16.1% of its land, which is 54% of the way to the pledge. Source
2030
Paris Agreement pledge
on recordUganda has a Nationally Determined Contribution lodged with the UNFCCC. The registry holds the current text, its target year and the sectors it covers. Source
Plastic policy
in force, weakly enforcedPlastic bag (kaveera) ban legislated but weakly enforced.
Grid, as it stands
90% renewableRecorded renewable share of electricity output, the number every energy pledge is measured against. Source
Plain Answers About Uganda.
The questions people actually type, answered in full sentences from the sourced data above.
Swipe
Is Uganda sustainable?
Uganda scores 65 out of 100 on the Throne Eco Index, across twelve equally weighted pillars. A green, water rich equatorial country whose forests shelter roughly half the planet's mountain gorillas, though safe drinking water and enforced pollution rules lag well behind.
Is the water in Uganda safe and plentiful?
Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink. Many rural households rely on untreated lake, river or borehole water, which drives recurring cholera outbreaks.
Can Uganda feed itself?
Agriculture employs around two thirds of Ugandans and the country grows most of what it eats. Staples such as matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans and groundnuts come from smallholder plots, and food import dependence is low. Fertile soils and a bimodal rainfall pattern support two harvests a year in much of the country.
Is it easy to eat plant-based in Uganda?
The everyday Ugandan plate is built on plants: matoke, cassava, sweet potato, beans, groundnut sauce and cooked greens such as dodo and nakati. Fresh produce is cheap and sold daily in local markets, so unprocessed plant eating is the default rather than a lifestyle choice. Meat and fish tend to be eaten when affordable rather than at every meal.
How much of Uganda is actually protected?
About 16% of Uganda's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), spread across ten national parks including Bwindi, Queen Elizabeth, Murchison Falls and Kidepo. Gorilla and chimpanzee tourism helps fund ranger patrols and community revenue sharing, which supports enforcement. Encroachment for farming, charcoal and wetland reclamation remains a serious pressure.
What wildlife is left in Uganda?
Uganda is one of Africa's richest wildlife countries, home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gorillas in Bwindi and Mgahinga, plus chimpanzees, tree climbing lions and over 1,000 bird species. It straddles the Albertine Rift, a centre of endemism, and lists 322 IUCN threatened species (2023). This concentration of iconic and endemic life is a genuine global draw.
Is Uganda on clean energy?
Uganda's electricity is almost entirely renewable, with large hydropower on the Nile (plants such as Bujagali, Isimba and Karuma) supplying roughly 90% or more of generation and the grid as a whole close to fully renewable. Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fraction of the global average. The country has a low-emission development strategy and updated climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
How polluted is Uganda?
Air quality is moderate to poor, with a modelled PM2.5 annual mean around 31 micrograms per cubic metre (World Bank, 2023), driven by charcoal and biomass burning and vehicle smoke in Kampala. Uganda has legislated bans on thin plastic bags (kaveera) more than once, but enforcement is weak and litter is common in towns.
Does recycling work in Uganda?
There is no reliable municipal recycling rate. What recovery happens is largely informal: waste pickers collect PET bottles, scrap metal and cardboard, and organic waste is often composted or fed to livestock. Formal kerbside recycling systems are minimal.
Is the farming in Uganda organic?
Certified organic farmland is about 0.8% of agricultural land (FiBL, 2020), which places Uganda in a low band by area. In practice Uganda has one of the largest populations of certified organic farmers in Africa and a genuine organic export sector in coffee, cotton and cocoa, and most smallholdings use few or no synthetic inputs by default.
Are there natural materials and craft in Uganda?
Uganda keeps a living natural materials tradition in barkcloth, made from the inner bark of the Mutuba fig and recognised by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage. Basketry, mat weaving and home grown cotton add to a real craft base that still relies on plant fibres rather than plastics.
Is there living culture in Uganda?
Uganda has strong living communities, from the Baganda to the Batwa and Karamojong, and community tourism is real, with gorilla permit revenue sharing funding schools, clinics and enterprises around Bwindi. The record is not clean: the Batwa were evicted from Bwindi and Mgahinga when the parks were gazetted and remain marginalised conservation refugees.
What heritage does Uganda keep alive?
Uganda holds exceptionally deep living heritage across its kingdoms and peoples. Royal Kiganda dances such as Bakisimba, Nankasa and Muwogola, Acholi Larakaraka and Bwola, and Ankole Ekitaguriro are still danced to ngoma drumming, amadinda and akadinda xylophones and the endongo lyre and adungu harp. Ancestral traditions remain widely alive, including the Empaako naming system, Bigwala gourd trumpet music, the Imbalu circumcision ceremony of the Bagisu and barkcloth making of the Baganda, several inscribed on UNESCO's heritage lists.
So is Uganda actually green? The measured answer
What is working: renewable electricity at 90%.
What is not: the gaps are narrower here than in most of the directory, and each remaining one is named below.
World Bank Open Data · Protected Planet (UNEP-WCMC / WDPA) · Climate Watch (WRI) · Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026 · World Bank, World Development Indicators, Uganda (population, protected land, renewable electricity, CO2 per capita, NCD deaths) · CIA World Factbook, Uganda (geography and climate), archived data
How Uganda Ranks, region and world.
Where Uganda sits on the Eco Index, against its Africa neighbours and the 77 destinations scored worldwide.
How does Uganda compare in Africa?
1Ethiopia70
2Zambia70
4Tanzania65
5Namibia65
Scored Africa destinations, Eco Index.
The global top 10 of the 77 destinations scored
1Switzerland78
2France78
3Finland77
4Slovenia77
5Australia77
6Portugal75
7Germany75
8New Zealand75
9Italy73
10Spain73
Uganda sits 35 of 77 at 65/100. Every name links to its own destination page, built exactly like this one. The full ranking
What is Uganda particularly good at?
✓ Energy, scored 5/5. Uganda's electricity is almost entirely renewable, with large hydropower on the Nile (plants such as Bujagali, Isimba and Karuma) supplying roughly 90% or more of generation and the grid as a whole close to fully renewable. Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fraction of the global average. The country has a low-emission development strategy and updated climate commitments under the Paris Agreement. A real forward risk is the Lake Albert oil development and the East African Crude Oil Pipeline, which could raise emissions and shift Uganda towards fossil-fuel exports.
✓ Heritage, scored 5/5. Uganda holds exceptionally deep living heritage across its kingdoms and peoples. Royal Kiganda dances such as Bakisimba, Nankasa and Muwogola, Acholi Larakaraka and Bwola, and Ankole Ekitaguriro are still danced to ngoma drumming, amadinda and akadinda xylophones and the endongo lyre and adungu harp. Ancestral traditions remain widely alive, including the Empaako naming system, Bigwala gourd trumpet music, the Imbalu circumcision ceremony of the Bagisu and barkcloth making of the Baganda, several inscribed on UNESCO's heritage lists. The kingdoms of Buganda, Bunyoro, Toro and Busoga and the forest knowledge of the Batwa keep these practices rooted in daily life.
✓ Food and farming, scored 4/5. Agriculture employs around two thirds of Ugandans and the country grows most of what it eats. Staples such as matoke (steamed plantain), cassava, sweet potato, millet, beans and groundnuts come from smallholder plots, and food import dependence is low. Fertile soils and a bimodal rainfall pattern support two harvests a year in much of the country.
Where does Uganda score worst?
✕ Organic farming, scored 1/5. Certified organic farmland is about 0.8% of agricultural land (FiBL, 2020), which places Uganda in a low band by area. In practice Uganda has one of the largest populations of certified organic farmers in Africa and a genuine organic export sector in coffee, cotton and cocoa, and most smallholdings use few or no synthetic inputs by default.
✕ Recycling, scored 1/5. There is no reliable municipal recycling rate. What recovery happens is largely informal: waste pickers collect PET bottles, scrap metal and cardboard, and organic waste is often composted or fed to livestock. Formal kerbside recycling systems are minimal.
✕ Water, scored 2/5. Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink. Many rural households rely on untreated lake, river or borehole water, which drives recurring cholera outbreaks.
A note from the lens of mother natureSwipe
Organic farming, 1/5
Certified organic farmland is about 0.8% of agricultural land (FiBL, 2020), which places Uganda in a low band by area.
Consequence: It is the lowest-scoring part of Uganda's record, so it is where the score moves first.
Recycling, 1/5
There is no reliable municipal recycling rate. What recovery happens is largely informal: waste pickers collect PET bottles, scrap metal and cardboard, and organic waste is often composted or fed to livestock. Formal kerbside recycling systems are minimal.
Water, 2/5
Uganda sits on abundant fresh water, including Lake Victoria, Lake Albert and the source of the White Nile, so raw supply is rarely the problem. The gap is treatment and access: only about 18% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank and JMP, 2024) and tap water is generally unsafe to drink.
The Uganda Directory.
Everything on Hold The Throne that sits in Uganda, checked and listed.
How the rest of the world scores Uganda
Independent global indices, for calibration.
Forest cover
11.9
World Bank, 2024.
Protected land
16.1
World Bank, 2025.
Renewable grid
90.0
World Bank, 2021.
CO2 per person
0.17 t (2024)
World Bank, 2024.
Threatened species
322
Recorded figure, sourced on this page.
Control of corruption
25.8 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Government effectiveness
46.0 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Rule of law
47.6 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Political stability
50.4 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Voice and accountability
39.2 / 100
World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025. Score from 0 to 100, where 100 is the strongest governance.
Environmental Performance Index
34.7 / 100 · 122 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 122 of 177 countries assessed.
Ecosystem vitality
41.8 / 100 · 101 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 101 of 177 countries assessed.
Biodiversity and habitat
51.9 / 100 · 58 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 58 of 177 countries assessed.
Air quality
31.1 / 100 · 105 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 105 of 177 countries assessed.
Terrestrial biomes protected
59.0 / 100 · 83 of 177
Yale Environmental Performance Index 2026, ranked 83 of 177 countries assessed.
How Uganda Is Scored. The Throne Standard.
Every destination on the index is scored the same way, so a 4 in Barbados means exactly what a 4 means in Iceland. No self-declared data and no brochure claims are accepted. Seven pillars are scored from published measurements with the same fixed thresholds everywhere: energy (low-carbon share of electricity, 90% or more scores 5, 70% 4, 50% 3, 25% 2), conservation (land and sea protected), water (safe drinking water, wastewater treated, water stress), organic farmland, recycling, food import dependence and air quality. Where a measurement is not published for a place, that pillar keeps its source-assessed score and is labelled as such. Wildlife, culture, heritage, materials and plant-based eating have no comparable measurement and are assessed from the named sources. The Eco Index is the average of the twelve pillar scores multiplied by 20. Every figure on this page carries its named source and year, and the history on each page names what empire took as plainly as it scores the present.
The 12 pillars every destination is scored on, equally weighted
01
Water
Safe drinking water, wastewater treated and water stress. Measured.
02
Food & farming
How much of the import bill is food: whether the place feeds itself. Measured.
03
Plant-based
How easy it is to eat plant-based, from documented sources.
04
Organic
Certified organic share of farmland. Measured.
05
Conservation
Land and sea legally protected, against the 30 by 30 goal. Measured.
06
Wildlife
What survives, what is endemic, what is lost, from documented sources.
07
Materials
Local natural fibres and craft, from documented sources.
08
Pollution
Air quality (PM2.5, measured) and plastics and waste policy.
09
Recycling
Share of municipal waste recycled. Measured.
10
Energy
Low-carbon share of electricity, nuclear included. Measured.
11
Culture
Living culture and community-led visits, from documented sources.
12
Heritage
What the law keeps standing, from documented sources.
What each 0 to 5 pillar score means, in plain words
0
Absent
nothing verifiable exists
1
Failing
measurably going the wrong way
2
Weak
claims outrun delivery
3
Fair
real effort, mixed results
4
Strong
genuinely good, evidence named
5
Leading
world class, and the trend holds
Where the numbers come from.
The institutions above are the ones cited on this page, ranked by how many of its figures they carry. This same sectioned page renders for all 77 scored destinations, each with its own researched history, comparison charts and three-way future. Read the full methodology
Every figure on this page, and where it came from: 85 sources across 27 institutions
GBIF occurrence search18 FIGURES
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (bird). check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, class Aves corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae, Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (plant). check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Critically Endangered, kingdom Plantae corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Endangered, class Mammalia, Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and recorded in Uganda in GBIF occurrence data (mammal). check
- Uganda, IUCN category Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
- Uganda, IUCN category Endangered, class Mammalia corroboration check
World Bank17 FIGURES
- Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 check
- Terrestrial protected areas (% of land) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 check
- Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 check
- PM2.5 mean annual exposure (micrograms per cubic metre) EN.ATM.PM25.MC.M3, 2023 check
- CO2 emissions per capita EN.GHG.CO2.PC.CE.AR5, 2024 check
- GDP (current US$) NY.GDP.MKTP.CD, 2025 check
- International tourist arrivals ST.INT.ARVL, 2020 check
- Agricultural land (% of land area) AG.LND.AGRI.ZS, 2023 check
- Arable land (% of land area) AG.LND.ARBL.ZS, 2023 check
- Agriculture, value added (% of GDP) NV.AGR.TOTL.ZS, 2025 check
- Adult literacy rate SE.ADT.LITR.ZS, 2024 check
- Renewable internal freshwater per capita (m3) ER.H2O.INTR.PC, 2022 check
- Safely managed sanitation (% of population) SH.STA.SMSS.ZS, 2024 check
- Overweight prevalence, adults (%) SH.STA.OWAD.ZS, 2022 check
- Central government debt (% of GDP) GC.DOD.TOTL.GD.ZS, 2024 check
- Population total SP.POP.TOTL, 2025 check
- What a Waste 2.0 country-level dataset check
Convention on Biological Diversity6 FIGURES
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports), Uganda is one of Africa's richest wildlife countries, home to roughly half the world's remaining mountain gori check
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports) corroboration check
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports) corroboration check
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports) corroboration check
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports) corroboration check
- Uganda country profile (compiled from Uganda's own national reports) corroboration check
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage5 FIGURES
- Barkcloth making in Uganda (Representative List), Uganda keeps a living natural materials tradition in barkcloth, made from the inner bark of the Mutuba fig and check
- Barkcloth making in Uganda (Representative List) corroboration check
- Uganda: elements inscribed on the Lists corroboration check
- Uganda: elements inscribed on the Lists corroboration check
- Uganda: elements inscribed on the Lists corroboration check
FiBL and IFOAM Organics International3 FIGURES
- The World of Organic Agriculture, Statistics and Emerging Trends 2026, In practice Uganda has one of the largest populations of certified organic farmers in Africa and a genuine org check
- The World of Organic Agriculture, Statistics and Emerging Trends 2026 corroboration check
- The World of Organic Agriculture, Statistics and Emerging Trends 2026 corroboration check
IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria3 FIGURES
Our World in Data3 FIGURES
- CO2 emissions per capita (Global Carbon Project), 2024 check
- CO2 emissions per capita, from the Global Carbon Budget 2025 (Global Carbon Project), Territorial CO2 emissions are among the lowest in the world at about 0.13 tonnes per person (2024), a small fr check
- CO2 emissions per capita, from the Global Carbon Budget 2025 (Global Carbon Project) corroboration check
The London Gazette3 FIGURES
- Issue 26523, page 3509, Tuesday 19 June 1894, Foreign Office notice of 18 June 1894, Britain declared the Uganda Protectorate in 1894 and ruled substantially through Buganda. check
- Issue 26523, page 3509, Tuesday 19 June 1894, Foreign Office notice of 18 June 1894 corroboration check
- Issue 26523, page 3509, Tuesday 19 June 1894, Foreign Office notice of 18 June 1894 corroboration check
Uganda Wildlife Authority3 FIGURES
UNESCO3 FIGURES
BirdLife International, IUCN and UNEP-WCMC2 FIGURES
FAO2 FIGURES
- FAOSTAT Crops and Livestock Products (QCL), Africa bulk data file, released 23 December 2025, By tonnage, the largest crops grown in Uganda are plantains and cooking bananas, sugarcane, maize, cassava and check
- FAOSTAT Crops and Livestock Products (QCL), Africa bulk data file, released 23 December 2025 corroboration check
FAO, Global Forest Resources Assessment2 FIGURES
WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme2 FIGURES
CBD1 FIGURE
- Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Target 3 check
Constitute Project1 FIGURE
- Uganda 1995 (rev. 2017) check
FiBL1 FIGURE
- The World of Organic Agriculture, organic farmland statistics check
IEA1 FIGURE
- Uganda 2023 Energy Policy Review check
IFES ElectionGuide1 FIGURE
- Uganda elections and chambers check
IUCN Red List1 FIGURE
- Gorilla beringei ssp. beringei (mountain gorilla) check
Other published sources1 FIGURE
- 24.1% is a 2007 figure; UIS has published no secondary enrolment ratio for Uganda since then, so the year is now stated outright check
Uganda Bureau of Statistics1 FIGURE
- national statistical authority check
UN Protocol and Liaison Service1 FIGURE
- Heads of State, Heads of Government and Ministers for Foreign Affairs, public list dated 20 October 2026 check
UN Statistics Division1 FIGURE
- Statistical Yearbook (68th issue), Threatened species table (source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, accessed June 2025), 2023 figures check
UN Statistics Division, Energy Balances1 FIGURE
- UN SDG Global Database, renewable share of total final energy consumption (%) EG_FEC_RNEW, Uganda, 2024 (88.2%), modelled estimate check
UNFCCC1 FIGURE
- NDC Registry check
World Bank / WHO-UNICEF JMP1 FIGURE
- People using safely managed drinking water services (%) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 check