Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda
Uganda: Share of food products in total merchandise exports was 39.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda, 1976–2024
Source: UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of merchandise exports.
Analysis
Uganda recorded 39.3% for share of food products in total merchandise exports in 2024.
That represents a change of up 0.1% on the previous year and down 40.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda peaked at 93.2% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 37.5%, in 2020.
Uganda ranks 53rd of 196 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise exports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 89.9% | — |
| 1994 | 93.2% | +3.7% |
| 1995 | 86.0% | -7.7% |
| 1996 | 75.0% | -12.8% |
| 1997 | 70.7% | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 85.4% | +20.7% |
| 1999 | 72.8% | -14.7% |
| 2000 | 62.9% | -13.6% |
| 2001 | 62.8% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 65.8% | +4.8% |
| 2003 | 66.6% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 61.4% | -7.8% |
| 2005 | 63.3% | +3.1% |
| 2006 | 54.4% | -14.1% |
| 2007 | 62.2% | +14.5% |
| 2008 | 62.6% | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 62.5% | -0.1% |
| 2010 | 66.8% | +6.7% |
| 2011 | 53.9% | -19.3% |
| 2012 | 46.3% | -14.0% |
| 2013 | 66.1% | +42.7% |
| 2014 | 65.5% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 66.3% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 54.5% | -17.9% |
| 2017 | 59.7% | +9.6% |
| 2018 | 55.5% | -7.0% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | -24.8% |
| 2020 | 37.5% | -10.1% |
| 2021 | 48.0% | +27.9% |
| 2022 | 64.3% | +33.9% |
| 2023 | 39.3% | -38.9% |
| 2024 | 39.3% | +0.1% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 39.3% is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.9%, 1.1× the median. (22 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 39.3% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 27.6%, 1.4× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 89.9% | 89.9% | 89.9% | 1 |
| 1990s | 80.5% | 70.7% | 93.2% | 6 |
| 2000s | 62.4% | 54.4% | 66.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.6% | 41.8% | 66.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 45.7% | 37.5% | 64.3% | 5 |
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)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), gaps 399,794 BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 0.008 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), gaps filled 3.26 billion BoP, current US$ (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), annual 8.81 % change on previous year (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per unit 0.0604 BoP, current US$ per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$), per capita 65.12 BoP, current US$ per person (2024)
- Total reserves (includes gold, current US$), annual growth rate -11.58 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda?
- Share of food products in total merchandise exports in Uganda was 39.3% in 2024, according to UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of food products in total merchandise exports recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 93.2% in 1994.
- What is the lowest share of food products in total merchandise exports recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.5% in 2020.
- How does Uganda rank for share of food products in total merchandise exports?
- Uganda ranks 53rd out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of food products in total merchandise exports rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from UN Comtrade, WITS, and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of food products in total merchandise exports. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 32 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Value of food exports divided by the total value of merchandise exports, expressed as a percentage.