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    Census 2024 · district in Bugisu sub-region

    Mbale

    People
    290,356
    53 of 146 by size
    Area
    362 km²
    People per km²
    803
    Uganda: 189
    Household size
    4.8
    Uganda: 4.2
    Children under 18
    46.8%
    Uganda: 49.6%

    Where Mbale is

    Where Mbale does better than Uganda

    • Households with safe drinking water: 89.4% vs 81.1% nationally
    • Teens 13–17 out of school: 26.3% vs 34.2% nationally
    • Households that got PDM support: 13.5% vs 7.8% nationally

    Where Mbale lags behind

    • Households on grid electricity: 10.7% vs 25.3% nationally
    • Households in subsistence farming: 47.6% vs 33.1% nationally
    • Households with improved toilets: 34.1% vs 43.6% nationally

    Mbale compared

    • Mbale
    • Bugisu
    • Uganda

    Education

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    Connected

    Inside Mbale: 17 sub-counties

    Pick a question to compare every sub-county in Mbale.

    Households on grid electricity

    By sub-county, Census 2024

    Who has power from the grid? Mbale overall: 10.7%

    Highest: Busiu Town Council (23.7%). Lowest: Wanale (0.3%).

    Sub-countyCountyHouseholds on grid electricity
    Busiu Town CouncilBungokho County23.7%
    BungokhoBungokho Central County21.5%
    BusobaBungokho Central County17.8%
    Nabumali Town CouncilBungokho Central County17.4%
    NyondoBungokho Central County15.4%
    Jewa Town CouncilBungokho County14.9%
    BumbobiBungokho Central County12.8%
    BumasikyeBungokho County7.6%
    BunambutyeBungokho County7.5%
    BukhiendeBungokho County6.5%
    LukhongeBungokho County6.3%
    BusiuBungokho County4.4%
    BufumboBungokho County4.1%
    BubyanguBungokho County1.6%
    BusanoBungokho Central County1.5%
    BudwaleBungokho County0.3%
    WanaleBungokho County0.3%

    Farming in Mbale

    MbaleBugisuUgandaRank
    Households keeping livestock71.8%79.1%72.8%92nd of 135
    Cattle per 100 people20.2 per 100 people25.7 per 100 people31.5 per 100 people88th of 135
    Goats per 100 people24.4 per 100 people23.6 per 100 people37.8 per 100 people105th of 135
    Chickens per 100 people160.0 per 100 people165.2 per 100 people126.0 per 100 people32nd of 135
    Pigs per 100 people8.6 per 100 people12.5 per 100 people15.4 per 100 people101st of 135
    Cattle that are exotic or cross-bred45.1%56.4%23.0%24th of 135
    Honey harvested (kg, 6 months)1,170 kg22,953 kg2,567,298 kg117th of 135

    Source: UBOS, National Livestock Census 2021. Animals per 100 people use the 2024 census population. Includes Mbale City.

    Other districts in Bugisu

    Compare Mbale with Sironko →

    About these numbers

    From the National Population and Housing Census 2024. Shares are worked out from UBOS’s counts for Mbale. The Bugisu and Uganda figures come from summed counts, not averages. “Highest of 146” ranks show where Mbale sits among all districts and cities, from highest value down. For some indicators, a high rank is good news; for others it isn’t.

    Note: UBOS's mobile phone ownership table currently repeats the internet-use figures, so phone ownership is left out.