Labor force, total in Uganda
Uganda: Labor force, total was 23.39 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in Uganda, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 23.39 million for labor force, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
The figure is up 3.6% on the previous year and up 58.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in Uganda peaked at 23.39 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 6.67 million, in 1990.
That places Uganda 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Labor force, total in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 6.67 million | — |
| 1991 | 6.88 million | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 7.12 million | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 7.36 million | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 7.60 million | +3.3% |
| 1995 | 7.77 million | +2.2% |
| 1996 | 7.94 million | +2.2% |
| 1997 | 8.15 million | +2.6% |
| 1998 | 8.37 million | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 8.64 million | +3.2% |
| 2000 | 8.91 million | +3.1% |
| 2001 | 9.17 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 9.45 million | +3.1% |
| 2003 | 9.76 million | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 10.04 million | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 10.33 million | +2.9% |
| 2006 | 10.63 million | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 10.95 million | +3.0% |
| 2008 | 11.28 million | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 11.64 million | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 12.00 million | +3.2% |
| 2011 | 13.56 million | +13.0% |
| 2012 | 12.23 million | -9.8% |
| 2013 | 15.28 million | +25.0% |
| 2014 | 14.47 million | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 14.73 million | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 15.02 million | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 15.31 million | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 16.69 million | +9.0% |
| 2019 | 18.01 million | +8.0% |
| 2020 | 19.00 million | +5.5% |
| 2021 | 20.12 million | +5.9% |
| 2022 | 21.09 million | +4.8% |
| 2023 | 21.82 million | +3.5% |
| 2024 | 22.58 million | +3.5% |
| 2025 | 23.39 million | +3.6% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 23.39 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 8.16 million, 2.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 23.39 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 6.13 million, 3.8× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Labor force, total in Uganda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | +25.0% | 12.23 million | 15.28 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.65 million | 6.67 million | 8.64 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.22 million | 8.91 million | 11.64 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.73 million | 12.00 million | 18.01 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.33 million | 19.00 million | 23.39 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More education data for Uganda
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 63,957 (2014)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 778,349 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 301,523 (2017)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 307,450 (2017)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 1.03 million (2007)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 8.84 million (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 2.13 % change on previous year (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2017)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.22 units per person (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in Uganda?
- Labor force, total in Uganda was 23.39 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 23.39 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.67 million in 1990.
- How does Uganda rank for labor force, total?
- Uganda ranks 30th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 58.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.