Population of Uganda: characteristics, numbers and dynamics

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

Uganda is a small state in East Africa, inside the African continent. It borders Lake Victoria to the southeast, South Sudan, Tanzania, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Kenya to the east. Geographically, Uganda is close to the equator.

The official language is English. Among the local languages, Luganda is the most commonly spoken. Swahili is used for domestic trade.

Uganda's population is growing very rapidly.

Natural conditions

The territory of the state is a vast plateau with heights from 1000 to 1500 meters. The climate is subequatorial type, humid in summer. The annual amount of precipitation is about 1000 mm, and in some places in the south and west - more than 1500 mm. Wet and dry seasons are well defined. Temperatures are quite low for these latitudes: +25 °С in the warmest month and +20 °С in the coldest. Good climatic conditions allow in many areas to harvest two crops a year.

Tallgrass savannas dominate; sites meettropical forests. Forest cover is higher in the south than in the north.

Economy of Uganda

The basis of the country's economy is the cultivation of coffee. Agriculture employs 82% of the total number of employees. The locals are engaged in fishing and gold mining. GDP per capita is one of the lowest in the world. The literacy rate is also very low. For example, only 76% of men and 57% of women can read and write.

Population of Uganda

Uganda is one of the countries with very fast population growth. In 2014, 34.8 million people lived here, and at the end of 2018 - already 43.7 million people. The average annual increase in the number of people is 3.6%. This puts the country in 2nd place in the world in terms of population growth rate. By 2100, it may reach 192.5 million people, if, of course, a small area can feed such a number of people, given the extensive nature of agriculture and underdeveloped industry typical of Africa.

The population density in Uganda is 181.2 people/km2. The vast majority of residents are from the rural population.

On average, there are 6.73 births per woman; infant mortality is 64 per 1,000 inhabitants.

Total life expectancy is 52 years for men and 54 years for women, which is very low. The average age of residents is also extremely low - 15 years. This is a record figure in the world.

High in the country and the degree of infection of the population with AIDS - 6, 4% (according to 2010).

Population dynamics

The country's population is growing exponentially. Relative growth rates are also increasing, although this growth is undulating. In 2018, the number of residents increased by 1,379,043 people, which is 3.26% per year. The number of births was 1,847,182, and the number of deaths was 433,039.

The natural increase was 1,414,143 people, and the migration flow was negative (more people left than came in) and amounted to -35,100 people. Obviously, as population density rises, the number of people leaving the country will increase rapidly. As you know, water spills out more easily from an overflowing bowl.

Dependency ratio

High population density puts pressure on natural ecosystems, resources, agriculture, medicine. The level of the demographic burden on the economy is quite high in the country. It is considered that the population under 15 years of age and over 64 years of age is not active in labor relations. Due to the large proportion of younger ages, the load factor is high and equal to 108%. This means that the workers have to feed the same number of non-workers.

The racial makeup of Uganda

The basis of the population of this country are the Bantu peoples, which account for about 70% of the inhabitants. Of these, the largest share belongs to the Ganda people (16.9%). In second place are the Nilotic peoples - about 30% of the total population.

Agestructure

Among the population in Uganda, the percentage of residents under 15 is very high - 49.9%. Local residents aged 15 to 65 years - 48.1%. The proportion of representatives of the older age groups (over 64 years old) is very small - only 2.1%. Such indicators are associated with high birth rates and low life expectancy. This is the age composition of the population of Uganda.

According to the UN, such unfavorable indicators are the result of a low level of education and he alth care, lifestyle characteristics, traditions and customs.

Life expectancy

According to UN calculations, if the demographic characteristics in the country do not change, then the average life expectancy for men will be 52.2 years, and for women - 54.3 years. On average, it will be equal to 53.2 years. These figures are well below the world average of about 71 years of life expectancy.

Conclusion

Thus, Uganda is one of the most backward countries in the world with a rapid population growth. The growth in the number of inhabitants is due to the high birth rate, which, unlike most regions of the world, is not declining, but, on the contrary, tends to increase. By 2100, the population will reach prohibitive values, but this may not happen due to the rapid depletion of land and resources. In this case, the country is waiting for a humanitarian catastrophe. The low level of development of medicine against the background of a rapidly growing population increases the risk of dangerous epidemics. According to experts, the risk of water pollution is increasing. This indicates,that the country needs to pursue a competent demographic policy. It is important to increase the level of education of the population, the availability of medicines, and the decrease in motivation to give birth to a large number of children. This requires a transition from extensive to intensive farming.