External balance on goods and services in Uganda
Uganda: External balance on goods and services was -7.3% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
External balance on goods and services in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2025, external balance on goods and services in Uganda stood at -7.3%.
The figure is up 19.9% on the previous year and up 38.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external balance on goods and services in Uganda peaked at 6.8% in 1964 and was at its lowest, -15.5%, in 1992.
Uganda ranks 123rd of 193 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
External balance on goods and services in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.5% | — |
| 1961 | 2.8% | -49.7% |
| 1962 | 2.7% | -4.1% |
| 1963 | 4.4% | +65.8% |
| 1964 | 6.8% | +54.2% |
| 1965 | 1.2% | -82.1% |
| 1966 | 0.2% | -80.1% |
| 1967 | 0.9% | +276.7% |
| 1968 | 1.3% | +45.0% |
| 1969 | 1.2% | -10.3% |
| 1970 | 3.2% | +172.7% |
| 1971 | -4.1% | -228.0% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | -163.1% |
| 1973 | 3.4% | +30.2% |
| 1974 | -0.3% | -109.6% |
| 1975 | -2.3% | +594.7% |
| 1976 | 1.8% | -178.7% |
| 1977 | 1.4% | -24.0% |
| 1978 | -5.2% | -484.7% |
| 1979 | 1.9% | -135.9% |
| 1980 | -6.6% | -452.3% |
| 1981 | -6.0% | -9.2% |
| 1982 | -9.1% | +52.8% |
| 1983 | -5.0% | -45.5% |
| 1984 | -1.6% | -67.2% |
| 1985 | -1.3% | -22.2% |
| 1986 | -2.4% | +91.2% |
| 1987 | -9.8% | +303.4% |
| 1988 | -10.2% | +4.2% |
| 1989 | -10.1% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | -12.1% | +19.6% |
| 1991 | -14.5% | +19.3% |
| 1992 | -15.5% | +7.3% |
| 1993 | -14.1% | -9.1% |
| 1994 | -10.4% | -26.6% |
| 1995 | -9.0% | -12.7% |
| 1996 | -11.5% | +26.8% |
| 1997 | -7.4% | -35.1% |
| 1998 | -10.8% | +44.7% |
| 1999 | -11.5% | +7.0% |
| 2000 | -11.4% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | -12.3% | +7.4% |
| 2002 | -13.9% | +12.7% |
| 2003 | -13.8% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | -10.1% | -27.1% |
| 2005 | -10.6% | +5.6% |
| 2006 | -13.1% | +23.0% |
| 2007 | -13.3% | +1.9% |
| 2008 | -7.7% | -42.2% |
| 2009 | -9.8% | +27.8% |
| 2010 | -10.6% | +8.0% |
| 2011 | -14.0% | +32.2% |
| 2012 | -12.5% | -10.9% |
| 2013 | -10.1% | -19.5% |
| 2014 | -6.1% | -39.3% |
| 2015 | -11.9% | +95.1% |
| 2016 | -6.4% | -46.8% |
| 2017 | -3.5% | -44.7% |
| 2018 | -6.5% | +83.9% |
| 2019 | -5.1% | -20.4% |
| 2020 | -6.2% | +20.0% |
| 2021 | -10.2% | +64.5% |
| 2022 | -10.5% | +3.1% |
| 2023 | -10.1% | -3.1% |
| 2024 | -9.1% | -9.9% |
| 2025 | -7.3% | -19.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.7% | 0.2% | 6.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2% | -5.2% | 3.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | -6.2% | -10.2% | -1.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | -11.7% | -15.5% | -7.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | -11.6% | -13.9% | -7.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | -8.7% | -14.0% | -3.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | -8.9% | -10.5% | -6.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 120 Cameroon -7.2% compare
- 121 Pakistan -7.2% compare
- 122 Sierra Leone -7.3% compare
- 124 Tunisia -8.1% compare
- 125 Antigua and Barbuda -8.3% compare
- 126 Lao People's Democratic Republic -8.7% compare
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)
- Final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$), per capita 865.53 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), annual growth rate 16.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.9953 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current US$), per capita 1,201 current US$ per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), annual growth rate 13.04 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per unit of GDP 3,659 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (current LCU), per capita 4.41 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Gross national expenditure (constant 2015 US$), annual growth rate 9.67 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external balance on goods and services in Uganda?
- External balance on goods and services in Uganda was -7.3% 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 6.8% in 1964.
- What is the lowest external balance on goods and services recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was -15.5% in 1992.
- How does Uganda rank for external balance on goods and services?
- Uganda ranks 123rd 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 up 38.7%. 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 (% of GDP). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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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 as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.