Uganda

Uganda: strong, sustained growth, 1980–2025

A young, fast-growing population and agriculture-led economy have driven steady growth since the stabilization that followed decades of conflict and instability, with oil production beginning to come online in the mid-2020s. Between 1980 and 2025, Uganda's GDP per capita grew from $94 to $1,206 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% — strong, sustained growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 5.7% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 2.8 points, reflecting relatively stable macroeconomic conditions. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 71.8% to 26.1% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 23.4% to 42.1% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 43.5 to 68.5 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 0.5% to 4.6%, while the urban population share grew from 6.8% to 31.9%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 0.05 to 0.17 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) narrowed from 44.4 to 42.7; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 72.8% to 59.8%.