Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda

Uganda: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 31.9% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
31.9%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
209th
of 238 countries
All-time high
31.9%
in 2025
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda, 1000–2025

0102030100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda stood at 31.9%. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and up 27.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda peaked at 31.9% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

That places Uganda 209th out of 238 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1600s 0.1% 0.1% 0.1% 1
1700s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1710s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1720s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1730s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1740s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1750s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1760s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1770s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1780s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1790s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1800s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1810s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1820s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1830s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1840s 1.0% 1.0% 1.0% 1
1850s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1860s 1.2% 1.2% 1.2% 1
1870s 1.4% 1.4% 1.4% 1
1880s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1890s 1.6% 1.6% 1.6% 1
1900s 1.8% 1.8% 1.8% 1
1910s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1920s 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% 1
1930s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1940s 2.6% 2.6% 2.6% 1
1950s 3.7% 3.2% 4.2% 10
1960s 5.3% 4.4% 6.1% 10
1970s 6.4% 6.2% 6.7% 10
1980s 8.0% 6.8% 9.5% 10
1990s 10.6% 9.8% 11.4% 10
2000s 13.9% 11.6% 17.6% 10
2010s 23.9% 18.8% 27.8% 10
2020s 30.3% 28.5% 31.9% 6

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 206 Madagascar 32.9% compare
  2. 207 Mali 32.2% compare
  3. 208 Kenya 32.2% compare
  4. 210 Saint Kitts and Nevis 31.9% compare
  5. 211 Solomon Islands 31.3% compare
  6. 212 Rwanda 30.9% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Uganda was 31.9% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 31.9% in 2025.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Uganda rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Uganda ranks 209th out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is up 27.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Uganda data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.