Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Uganda
Uganda: Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) was 29.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 29.7% for value of imported goods as a share of gdp in 2025.
That represents a change of up 15.7% on the previous year and up 74.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Uganda peaked at 31.3% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 5.9%, in 1976.
That places Uganda 102nd out of 201 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 7.5% | — |
| 1961 | 7.6% | +0.9% |
| 1962 | 7.1% | -6.9% |
| 1963 | 7.8% | +10.2% |
| 1964 | 12.7% | +62.9% |
| 1965 | 10.9% | -14.3% |
| 1966 | 10.8% | -1.0% |
| 1967 | 9.7% | -10.1% |
| 1968 | 13.9% | +44.0% |
| 1969 | 13.5% | -3.0% |
| 1970 | 12.4% | -8.6% |
| 1971 | 15.9% | +28.6% |
| 1972 | 9.7% | -38.7% |
| 1973 | 8.5% | -12.5% |
| 1974 | 9.2% | +7.4% |
| 1975 | 7.7% | -15.7% |
| 1976 | 5.9% | -24.1% |
| 1977 | 7.4% | +25.9% |
| 1978 | 6.7% | -9.0% |
| 1979 | 7.8% | +15.6% |
| 1980 | 15.9% | +105.0% |
| 1981 | 21.2% | +33.0% |
| 1982 | 13.1% | -37.9% |
| 1983 | 12.2% | -7.2% |
| 1984 | 7.1% | -42.2% |
| 1985 | 7.3% | +3.2% |
| 1986 | 8.0% | +10.1% |
| 1987 | 7.3% | -8.8% |
| 1988 | 6.6% | -9.9% |
| 1989 | 7.5% | +13.8% |
| 1990 | 13.3% | +77.1% |
| 1991 | 11.7% | -11.8% |
| 1992 | 13.5% | +14.9% |
| 1993 | 14.0% | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 15.2% | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 14.8% | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 13.6% | -8.0% |
| 1997 | 12.9% | -5.2% |
| 1998 | 13.0% | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 13.5% | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 15.5% | +14.2% |
| 2001 | 17.2% | +11.4% |
| 2002 | 16.7% | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 20.8% | +24.9% |
| 2004 | 21.7% | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 22.2% | +2.3% |
| 2006 | 25.6% | +15.3% |
| 2007 | 29.4% | +14.6% |
| 2008 | 31.3% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 16.9% | -46.1% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 20.2% | +15.6% |
| 2012 | 22.0% | +9.2% |
| 2013 | 20.1% | -8.8% |
| 2014 | 18.6% | -7.4% |
| 2015 | 17.0% | -8.4% |
| 2016 | 16.5% | -3.2% |
| 2017 | 18.1% | +10.1% |
| 2018 | 20.2% | +11.2% |
| 2019 | 20.4% | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 20.6% | +1.2% |
| 2021 | 22.0% | +6.6% |
| 2022 | 21.3% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 23.6% | +10.9% |
| 2024 | 25.7% | +8.8% |
| 2025 | 29.7% | +15.7% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 29.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.9%, 1.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 29.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.0%, 1.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Value of imported goods as a share of GDP (International Monetary) 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +105.0% | 7.8% | 15.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.2% | 7.1% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.1% | 5.9% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 10.6% | 6.6% | 21.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.6% | 11.7% | 15.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.7% | 15.5% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.0% | 16.5% | 22.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.8% | 20.6% | 29.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More economy & growth data for Uganda
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate 19.74 % change on previous year (2024)
- 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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Uganda?
- Value of imported goods as a share of gdp in Uganda was 29.7% in 2025, according to International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 31.3% in 2008.
- What is the lowest value of imported goods as a share of gdp recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.9% in 1976.
- How does Uganda rank for value of imported goods as a share of gdp?
- Uganda ranks 102nd out of 201 countries with data for 2025.
- Is value of imported goods as a share of gdp rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 74.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund (2026); National statistical organizations and central banks, OECD national accounts, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Value of imported goods as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Value of a country’s total goods imports, including freight and insurance costs, as a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP).