Population · Census 2024 and UBOS projections

45.9 million people, and half of them are children

Uganda counted 45.9 million people in the 2024 census, 19 times the 2.5 million counted in 1911. About 50% of Ugandans are under 18.

Did you know?

Half of all Ugandans are younger than 18 (projected median age in 2024).

How old is Uganda?

Each bar is an age group: men to the left, women to the right. Press play to watch the population age as fewer children are born per woman. The grey outline is 2024, for comparison.

2024UBOS projection · census counted 45.9 million

Population by age and sex

2024

Male
Female
2024 for comparison

Age	Male	Female
80+	81,500	123,100
75–79	81,000	104,300
70–74	139,500	184,100
65–69	179,600	213,000
60–64	315,700	384,400
55–59	398,500	424,800
50–54	559,000	605,500
45–49	670,100	757,300
40–44	849,900	986,700
35–39	1,082,400	1,281,800
30–34	1,378,500	1,678,000
25–29	1,842,200	1,975,000
20–24	2,386,400	2,394,300
15–19	2,761,100	2,651,800
10–14	3,054,500	2,849,000
5–9	3,473,900	3,388,600
0–4	3,885,800	3,789,600

People (projected)

46.9 million

Median age

17.7 years

Children under 15

43.6%

Aged 65 and over

2.4%

Who supports whom?

For every 100 people of working age (15–64) there are 85 children and older people to support.

As this number falls, more of the population is of working age. Economists call that a chance for faster growth, but only if there are jobs for the young people coming of age.

How fast is Uganda growing?

Population, 1911 to 2050

Census counts (dots) and UBOS’s 2014-based projection (dashed)

Census count
Projection

Year	Census count	Projection
2050	–	84,391,800
2049	–	82,893,900
2048	–	81,419,300
2047	–	79,910,700
2046	–	78,432,100
2045	–	76,984,200
2044	–	75,511,600
2043	–	74,072,000
2042	–	72,613,000
2041	–	71,189,000
2040	–	69,746,400
2039	–	68,287,500
2038	–	66,864,100
2037	–	65,426,000
2036	–	63,975,600
2035	–	62,561,600
2034	–	61,140,300
2033	–	59,713,200
2032	–	58,281,000
2031	–	56,845,500
2030	–	55,410,400
2029	–	53,979,900
2028	–	52,552,300
2027	–	51,130,800
2026	–	49,718,200
2025	–	48,317,300
2024	45,905,417	46,930,900
2023	–	45,562,000
2022	–	44,212,800
2021	–	42,885,900
2020	–	41,583,600
2019	–	40,308,000
2018	–	39,059,000
2017	–	37,838,900
2016	–	36,652,700
2015	–	35,502,100
2014	34,634,650	34,394,000
2002	24,227,297	–
1991	16,671,705	–
1980	12,636,179	–
1969	9,535,051	–
1959	6,536,616	–
1948	4,958,520	–
1931	3,542,281	–
1921	2,854,608	–
1911	2,466,325	–

1911

2050

Average yearly growth between censuses

% per year

	Growth per year
1911–1921	1.5%
1921–1931	2.2%
1931–1948	2.0%
1948–1959	2.5%
1959–1969	3.9%
1969–1980	2.7%
1980–1991	2.5%
1991–2002	3.2%
2002–2014	3.0%
2014–2024	2.9%

How good was the projection? UBOS’s 2014-based projection expected 46.9 million people in 2024; the census counted 45.9 million, which is 2.2% fewer than projected. Projections beyond 2024 have not yet been updated with the new census, so treat them as a guide.

Life expectancy at birth

Years, by census

Women
Men

Year	Women	Men
2024	70.1	66.9
2014	64.5	62.8
2002	52.0	48.8
1991	50.5	45.7
1969	47.0	46.0

Living longer

A baby born in 2024 can expect to live 68.2 years, up from 46.5 in 1969. The biggest jump came between the 2002 and 2014 censuses (+13.3 years). Women now live about 3 years longer than men.

Where this comes from

Median age, shares and the dependency ratio are calculated from UBOS’s single-year-of-age projections.