Economy - overview Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. In 1990-97, the economy turned in a solid performance based on: continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs.

GDP purchasing power parity - $34.6 billion (1997 est.)

GDP - real growth rate 5% (1997 est.)

GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (1997 est.)

GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 49%
industry: 13%
services: 38% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index 6% (1997)

Labor force
total: 8.361 million (1993 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 86%, industry 4%, services 10% (1980 est.)

Unemployment rate NA%

Budget
revenues: $869 million
expenditures: $985 million, including capital expenditures of $69 million (FY95/96)

Industries sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement

Industrial production growth rate 19.7% (FY95/96)

Electricity - capacity 162,000 kW (1998)

Electricity - production 807 million kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita 35 kWh (1995)

Agriculture - products coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

Exports
total value: $604 million (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, gold, cotton, tea, corn, fish
partners: Spain 23%, France 14%, Germany 14%, Italy 10%, Netherlands 8% (1995)

Imports
total value: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: machinery, chemicals, fuel, cotton piece goods, transportation equipment, food
partners: Kenya 26%, UK 12%, Japan 8%, Germany 8%, India 5.5% (1995)

Debt - external $3.5 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents

Exchange rates Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 - 1,148.1 (January 1998), 1,083.0 (1997), 1,046.1 (1996), 968.9 (1995), 979.4 (1994), 1,195.0 (1993)

Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June

NOTE: The information regarding Uganda on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Uganda Economy 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Uganda Economy 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.