Population in the largest city in Uganda
Uganda: Population in the largest city was 26.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
26.0%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
92nd
of 153 countries
All-time high
53.6%
in 1969
All-time low
25.8%
in 2022
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population in the largest city in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2025, population in the largest city in Uganda stood at 26.0%.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population in the largest city in Uganda peaked at 53.6% in 1969 and was at its lowest, 25.8%, in 2022.
Uganda ranks 92nd of 153 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Population in the largest city in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 41.2% | — |
| 1961 | 42.3% | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 43.3% | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 44.3% | +2.2% |
| 1964 | 45.2% | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 46.4% | +2.4% |
| 1966 | 47.7% | +2.8% |
| 1967 | 49.2% | +3.3% |
| 1968 | 51.2% | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 53.6% | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 53.4% | -0.4% |
| 1971 | 53.0% | -0.8% |
| 1972 | 52.9% | -0.2% |
| 1973 | 52.9% | +0.1% |
| 1974 | 52.9% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 52.8% | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 52.7% | -0.2% |
| 1977 | 52.6% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 52.3% | -0.5% |
| 1979 | 52.1% | -0.4% |
| 1980 | 52.2% | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 52.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 52.0% | -0.8% |
| 1983 | 51.2% | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 50.1% | -2.1% |
| 1985 | 49.0% | -2.4% |
| 1986 | 47.8% | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 46.6% | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 45.5% | -2.3% |
| 1989 | 44.7% | -1.9% |
| 1990 | 44.0% | -1.5% |
| 1991 | 43.6% | -0.9% |
| 1992 | 43.4% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 43.2% | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 43.2% | -0.0% |
| 1995 | 43.5% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 43.8% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 44.1% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 44.2% | +0.4% |
| 1999 | 44.2% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 44.1% | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 44.0% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 43.7% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 43.1% | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 42.1% | -2.2% |
| 2005 | 40.9% | -3.0% |
| 2006 | 39.4% | -3.5% |
| 2007 | 37.9% | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 36.2% | -4.3% |
| 2009 | 34.6% | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 33.1% | -4.4% |
| 2011 | 31.6% | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 30.3% | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 29.1% | -4.1% |
| 2014 | 27.9% | -4.2% |
| 2015 | 27.5% | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 27.2% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 26.8% | -1.3% |
| 2018 | 26.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 26.2% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 26.0% | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 25.8% | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 25.8% | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 25.8% | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 25.9% | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 26.0% | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.4% | 41.2% | 53.6% | 10 |
| 1970s | 52.8% | 52.1% | 53.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 49.2% | 44.7% | 52.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 43.7% | 43.2% | 44.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.6% | 34.6% | 44.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.6% | 26.2% | 33.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 25.9% | 25.8% | 26.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 89 Somalia 26.3% compare
- 90 Denmark 26.2% compare
- 91 Turkmenistan 26.2% compare
- 93 Cuba 25.5% compare
- 94 Papua New Guinea 25.4% compare
- 95 Saudi Arabia 25.4% compare
More urban development data for Uganda
- Population density 242.65 people per sq. km of land area (2023)
- PM2.5 air pollution, mean annual exposure 31.21 micrograms per cubic meter (2023)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 0.083 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 4.27 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 5.29 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 19.18 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 4.27 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0.072 Tonnes (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 23 - Ecological 54.77 Hectares (2020)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population in the largest city in Uganda?
- Population in the largest city in Uganda was 26.0% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population in the largest city recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 53.6% in 1969.
- What is the lowest population in the largest city recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 25.8% in 2022.
- How does Uganda rank for population in the largest city?
- Uganda ranks 92nd out of 153 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population in the largest city rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects 2018, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population in the largest city (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population in largest city is the percentage of a country's urban population living in that country's largest metropolitan area.