Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda

Uganda: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 13.7% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
13.7%
World rank
151st
of 179 countries
All-time high
21.3%
in 1950
All-time low
13.7%
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda, 1950–2020

051015201950198520201950: 21.3 %1955: 19.2 %1960: 17.8 %1965: 19.3 %1970: 20.1 %1975: 18.8 %1980: 17.5 %1985: 16.8 %1990: 15.4 %1995: 15.3 %2000: 15.2 %2005: 14.9 %2010: 15.7 %2015: 15 %2020: 13.7 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda stood at 13.7%. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda peaked at 21.3% in 1950 and was at its lowest, 13.7%, in 2020.

Uganda ranks 151st of 179 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 20.2% 19.2% 21.3% 2
1960s 18.5% 17.8% 19.3% 2
1970s 19.4% 18.8% 20.1% 2
1980s 17.2% 16.8% 17.5% 2
1990s 15.4% 15.3% 15.4% 2
2000s 15.1% 14.9% 15.2% 2
2010s 15.3% 15.0% 15.7% 2
2020s 13.7% 13.7% 13.7% 1

Countries ranked near Uganda

  1. 148 Kenya 14.2% compare
  2. 149 Botswana 13.8% compare
  3. 150 South Africa 13.7% compare
  4. 152 Uzbekistan 12.7% compare
  5. 153 North Korea 12.7% compare
  6. 154 Russia 12.4% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Uganda

All data for Uganda →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Uganda was 13.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Uganda?
The highest recorded value was 21.3% in 1950.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Uganda?
The lowest recorded value was 13.7% in 2020.
How does Uganda rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Uganda ranks 151st out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Uganda?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Uganda data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.