Poverty Rate Drops but 7M Ugandans Still Living Below the Line – Ubos Report
By Evans Najuna
Kampala – The national poverty rate has dropped to 16.1% down from 20.3% in the 2019/2020 survey, according to the latest Uganda National Household Survey report that was undertaken by Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos).
Furthermore, the report shows that 5.3 million people are living below USD1 (Shs3600) per day in the rural areas, 1.7 million in the urban areas and nationally there are seven million people living in poverty.
Sub-regionally, Karamoja has the most number of poor people with 937,500 translating to 74%, Busoga with 840,700, Buganda with 767,900, West Nile with 730,0000, Bukedi with 718,400, Teso with 709,100,Lango with 481,200, Bunyoro 454,900, and Acholi with 386,300 and among others.
Meanwhile, Kampala sub-region has the least number of poor persons with 19,200 which translates to 1.1%.
The poverty gap by sub-region is 4.2% nationally. Poverty gap is the cost required to move a poor person above the poverty line if transfers are properly targeted. For example, in Kampala, it requires an additional 0.3% of the resources currently being allocated to that area to move the poor above the poverty line.
Speaking at the dissemination of the report on Thursday 15th May 2025 in Kampala, Dr Chris Ndatira Mukiza, the Executive Director of Ubos said that the report will help to inform government planning and policy formulation. He also thanked the government for funding the project wholly without any external support.
“We are confident that this statistical information generated will inform public debate and so help us realign to achieve our national development goals but also international growth initiative,” he noted.
Mukiza also tipped the public on the importance of education, stating that it is the only way of fighting poverty, especially among children. He further said Uganda needs growth that is inclusive.
The Minister of State for Planning and Economic Development Amos Lugoloobi in charge of statistics at the Ministry of Finance in his remarks said that the government remains committed in its 2040 vision of transforming every Uganda into the money economy as opposed to subsistence lifestyle, which can only be achieved with statistics like the UNHS23/24 report.
He also noted that the government is committed to poverty alleviation at national level. Lugoloobi however, was appalled by the high poverty rate in the Karamoja sub-region which he says is still an issue that needs to be dealt with. “We still have a lot of work to do in the sub-regions with Karamoja being one of them but we also have Bukedi, West Nile, and Teso,” he concluded.
The UNHS survey which is the eight one since 1999/2000 done by Ubos was done from 17,350 households from 1,735 enumeration areas, and 14 sub-regions based on the National Housing and Population Census 2024. All districts were grouped in their sub-regions where enumeration areas were selected.
The bureau is also currently undertaking the aquaculture census; focusing on fish farms and ponds in the country, and the education baseline census which will resume in June when schools reopen for the second term.
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