External balance on goods and services (current LCU) in Uganda
Uganda: External balance on goods and services (current LCU) was -16.68 trillion current LCU in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
-16.68 trillion current LCU
Change on year
up 10.4%
World rank
186th
of 193 countries
All-time high
16.00 million current LCU
in 1979
All-time low
-18.61 trillion current LCU
in 2024
Years of data
66
1960–2025
External balance on goods and services in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in current LCU.
Analysis
Uganda recorded -16.68 trillion current LCU for external balance on goods and services in 2025.
The figure is up 10.4% on the previous year and down 52.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Uganda peaked at 16.00 million current LCU in 1979 and was at its lowest, -18.61 trillion current LCU, in 2024.
That places Uganda 186th out of 193 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.
External balance on goods and services (current LCU) in Uganda, year by year
| Year | current LCU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 2.22 million current LCU | — |
| 1961 | 1.17 million current LCU | -47.5% |
| 1962 | 1.14 million current LCU | -2.5% |
| 1963 | 2.17 million current LCU | +90.6% |
| 1964 | 3.82 million current LCU | +76.0% |
| 1965 | 770,000 current LCU | -79.9% |
| 1966 | 160,000 current LCU | -79.2% |
| 1967 | 630,000 current LCU | +293.8% |
| 1968 | 980,000 current LCU | +55.6% |
| 1969 | 990,000 current LCU | +1.0% |
| 1970 | 2.91 million current LCU | +193.9% |
| 1971 | -4.19 million current LCU | -244.0% |
| 1972 | 2.78 million current LCU | -166.3% |
| 1973 | 4.13 million current LCU | +48.6% |
| 1974 | -480,000 current LCU | -111.6% |
| 1975 | -4.81 million current LCU | +902.1% |
| 1976 | 4.36 million current LCU | -190.6% |
| 1977 | 6.76 million current LCU | +55.0% |
| 1978 | -29.00 million current LCU | -529.0% |
| 1979 | 16.00 million current LCU | -155.2% |
| 1980 | -82.00 million current LCU | -612.5% |
| 1981 | -160.00 million current LCU | +95.1% |
| 1982 | -398.00 million current LCU | +148.8% |
| 1983 | -335.00 million current LCU | -15.8% |
| 1984 | -137.00 million current LCU | -59.1% |
| 1985 | -227.00 million current LCU | +65.7% |
| 1986 | -1.03 billion current LCU | +355.5% |
| 1987 | -12.19 billion current LCU | +1078.5% |
| 1988 | -39.85 billion current LCU | +227.0% |
| 1989 | -90.73 billion current LCU | +127.7% |
| 1990 | -166.85 billion current LCU | +83.9% |
| 1991 | -264.86 billion current LCU | +58.7% |
| 1992 | -426.37 billion current LCU | +61.0% |
| 1993 | -546.30 billion current LCU | +28.1% |
| 1994 | -455.79 billion current LCU | -16.6% |
| 1995 | -485.17 billion current LCU | +6.4% |
| 1996 | -701.79 billion current LCU | +44.6% |
| 1997 | -493.50 billion current LCU | -29.7% |
| 1998 | -815.00 billion current LCU | +65.1% |
| 1999 | -941.39 billion current LCU | +15.5% |
| 2000 | -1.07 trillion current LCU | +13.9% |
| 2001 | -1.27 trillion current LCU | +18.1% |
| 2002 | -1.50 trillion current LCU | +18.6% |
| 2003 | -1.72 trillion current LCU | +14.5% |
| 2004 | -1.55 trillion current LCU | -10.0% |
| 2005 | -1.71 trillion current LCU | +10.4% |
| 2006 | -2.38 trillion current LCU | +39.6% |
| 2007 | -2.82 trillion current LCU | +18.5% |
| 2008 | -1.89 trillion current LCU | -33.2% |
| 2009 | -4.77 trillion current LCU | +153.0% |
| 2010 | -5.75 trillion current LCU | +20.5% |
| 2011 | -9.09 trillion current LCU | +58.2% |
| 2012 | -8.74 trillion current LCU | -3.9% |
| 2013 | -7.55 trillion current LCU | -13.6% |
| 2014 | -5.06 trillion current LCU | -33.0% |
| 2015 | -10.93 trillion current LCU | +115.8% |
| 2016 | -6.39 trillion current LCU | -41.5% |
| 2017 | -3.81 trillion current LCU | -40.3% |
| 2018 | -7.79 trillion current LCU | +104.2% |
| 2019 | -6.79 trillion current LCU | -12.8% |
| 2020 | -8.62 trillion current LCU | +26.9% |
| 2021 | -15.06 trillion current LCU | +74.7% |
| 2022 | -17.03 trillion current LCU | +13.1% |
| 2023 | -18.55 trillion current LCU | +9.0% |
| 2024 | -18.61 trillion current LCU | +0.3% |
| 2025 | -16.68 trillion current LCU | -10.4% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's -16.68 trillion current LCU is below the median for low income countries, which is -480.38 billion current LCU, 34.7× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Uganda's -16.68 trillion current LCU is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -68.31 billion current LCU, 244.2× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External balance on goods and services (current LCU) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | -1078.5% | -1.03 billion current LCU | -12.19 billion current LCU |
| 1975 | -902.1% | -480,000 current LCU | -4.81 million current LCU |
| 1980 | -612.5% | 16.00 million current LCU | -82.00 million current LCU |
| 1978 | -529.0% | 6.76 million current LCU | -29.00 million current LCU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.41 million current LCU | 160,000 current LCU | 3.82 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1970s | -154,000 current LCU | -29.00 million current LCU | 16.00 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1980s | -14.51 billion current LCU | -90.73 billion current LCU | -82.00 million current LCU | 10 |
| 1990s | -529.70 billion current LCU | -941.39 billion current LCU | -166.85 billion current LCU | 10 |
| 2000s | -2.07 trillion current LCU | -4.77 trillion current LCU | -1.07 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2010s | -7.19 trillion current LCU | -10.93 trillion current LCU | -3.81 trillion current LCU | 10 |
| 2020s | -15.76 trillion current LCU | -18.61 trillion current LCU | -8.62 trillion current LCU | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More economy & growth data for Uganda
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 4.29 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 6.99 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate -31.39 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.002 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 2.4 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -34.66 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0015 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 1.76 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 5.01 % change on previous year (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Uganda?
- External balance on goods and services in Uganda was -16.68 trillion current LCU in 2025, according to Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks.
- What is the highest external balance on goods and services recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 16.00 million current LCU in 1979.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was -18.61 trillion current LCU in 2024.
- How does Uganda rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Uganda ranks 186th out of 193 countries with data for 2025.
- Is external balance on goods and services rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 52.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks, published as part of External balance on goods and services (current LCU). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.