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    Justice · Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prisons Service via UBOS

    Crime and prisons in Uganda

    Police recorded 228,074 crimes in 2023, up from 195,931 in 2020. 84,907 cases were taken to court that year, equal to 37% of the number reported. Uganda’s prisons held 76,613 people in 2023, in space built for 20,996: 3.6 people for every place.

    Crimes reported, 2023

    228,074

    37% as many cases went to court

    Prisoners, 2023

    76,613

    in space for 20,996

    Prison occupancy

    365%

    of the space prisons were built for

    On remand

    47%

    of prisoners, awaiting trial

    Did you know?

    Theft is the most reported crime: 65,901 cases in 2023, about 181 a day.

    What crimes are reported? 2023

    Cases reported to police

    Reported vs taken to court

    All crimes, cases per year

    • Reported
    • Taken to court

    Who are the victims?

    Share of each crime’s victims by sex and age, 2023

    • Men
    • Boys under 18
    • Women
    • Girls under 18

    Mob justice is killing more people

    Deaths by mob action reported to police

    Prisons

    Prisons keep filling up

    Prisoners, convicted and on remand

    • Convicted
    • On remand (not yet tried)

    How crowded are prisons?

    Prisoners as % of capacity, 2023 (100% = full)

    Why people are in prison, 2023

    Prisoners by offence, convicted and on remand

    • Convicted
    • On remand

    Road crashes are covered on How dangerous are Uganda’s roads?

    About these numbers

    • Crimes are cases reported to the Uganda Police Force; many crimes are never reported. “Prosecuted” means taken to court in that year, not necessarily cases reported in the same year.
    • The police use two groupings: the headline categories (from “Number of Crimes by Category”) and a more detailed list that separates domestic violence. They overlap, so they are not added together.
    • Prison figures are from the Uganda Prisons Service. Occupancy is the number of prisoners as a share of the space prisons were built for: 300% means three people for every place.
    • Remand prisoners are held while awaiting trial and have not been convicted.

    Where this comes from