Overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. The economy has been devastated by widespread political instability, mismanagement, and civil war since independence in 1962. (GDP remains below the levels of the early 1970s, as does industrial production.) Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986 the government has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation, which was running at over 300% in 1987, and boosting production and export earnings. In 1990-93, the economy has turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, and gradually improving domestic security.

National product: GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $24.1 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: 6% (1993 est.)

National product per capita: $1,200 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 41.5% (1992 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $365 million
expenditures: $545 million, including capital expenditures of $165 million (1989 est.)

Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities: coffee 97%, cotton, tea
partners: US 25%, UK 18%, France 11%, Spain 10%

Imports: $513 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, machinery, cotton piece goods, metals, transportation equipment, food
partners: Kenya 25%, UK 14%, Italy 13%

External debt: $1.9 billion (1991 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 8% (1992 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 200,000 kW
production: 610 million kWh
consumption per capita: 30 kWh (1991)

Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement

Agriculture: mainly subsistence; accounts for 57% of GDP and over 80% of labor force; cash crops - coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco; food crops - cassava, potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; livestock products - beef, goat meat, milk, poultry; self-sufficient in food

Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $145 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $169 million

Currency: 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 - 1,165.0 (November 1993), 1.133.8 (1992), 734.0 (1991), 428.85 (1990), 223.1 (1989)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

NOTE: The information regarding Uganda on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Uganda Economy 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Uganda Economy 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.