Overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and substantial mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. For most of the past 15 years the economy has been devastated by political instability, mismanagement, and civil war, keeping Uganda poor with a per capita income below $300. (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 accounted for 93% of export revenues in 1986. Since 1986 the government has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing petroleum prices, and doubling civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation, which was running at over 300% in 1987, and boosting export earnings.

GDP: $3.6 billion, per capita $220; real growth rate 2.9% (1987 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 155% (1988)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $470 million; expenditures $790 million, including capital expenditures of $265 million (FY88)

Exports: $414 million (f.o.b., FY87 est.); @m5commodities--coffee 93%, cotton, tea; @m5partners--US 27%, UK 14%, France, Spain

Imports: $492 million (c.i.f., FY87 est.); @m5commodities--petroleum products, machinery, cotton piece goods, metals, transportation equipment, food; @m5partners--Kenya 39%, UK 17%, Japan 7%

External debt: $1.1 billion (1988)

Industrial production: growth rate 14.5% (1987 est.)

Electricity: 173,000 kW capacity; 312 million kWh produced, 18 kWh per capita (1988)

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

Agriculture: coffee, cotton, tobacco, tea, fish, livestock

Aid: NA

Currency: Ugandan shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1--200.00 (March 1989), 106.14 (1988), 42.84 (1987), 14.00 (1986), 6.72 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

NOTE: The information regarding Uganda on this page is re-published from the 1989 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Uganda Economy 1989 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Uganda Economy 1989 should be addressed to the CIA.