Uganda's external balance on goods and services (current US$) was −US$4.54 billion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 17.38% from −US$3.87 billion in 2015.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | −US$4.54 billion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | −US$2.32 billion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | −US$3.87 billion | 2015 |
| Highest | US$57.82 million | 1973 |
| Lowest | −US$4.94 billion | 2023 |
| Average since 2016 | −US$3.25 billion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | US$23.33 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Uganda's external balance on goods and services (current US$) rose US$389 million on 2024 (from −US$4.93 billion to −US$4.54 billion).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$150.43 million and a typical year strayed about US$781.34 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$2.01 billion in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was US$1.87 billion in 2015. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$459.21 million a year. A straight line explains 82% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Uganda had the 106th highest value of the 137 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
Closest to Uganda in the 2025 ranking
- Cameroon — 102nd of 137: −US$4.25 billion
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 103rd of 137: −US$4.28 billion
- Serbia — 104th of 137: −US$4.3 billion
- Tunisia — 106th of 137: −US$4.68 billion
- Croatia — 107th of 137: −US$5.3 billion
- Dominican Republic — 108th of 137: −US$5.37 billion
What this measures
The balance of international trade in goods and services is the difference between the exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.
All 66 values
| Year | External balance on goods and services (current US$) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | -4,537,252,018 |
| 2024 | -4,926,255,865 |
| 2023 | -4,944,332,557 |
| 2022 | -4,766,731,243 |
| 2021 | -4,114,427,872 |
| 2020 | -2,320,354,562 |
| 2019 | -1,818,185,984 |
| 2018 | -2,128,501,545 |
| 2017 | -1,080,604,950 |
| 2016 | -1,855,923,175 |
External balance on goods and services (current US$) in nearby economies
- Angola — US$13.82 billion (2025)
- Benin — −US$739.95 million (2025)
- Botswana — −US$1.09 billion (2025)
- Burkina Faso — US$1.37 billion (2025)
- Cabo Verde — −US$347.73 million (2025)
- Cameroon — −US$4.25 billion (2025)
- Central African Republic — −US$435.91 million (2025)
- Chad — US$2.73 billion (2025)
- Comoros — −US$404.54 million (2025)
More economic policy & debt data for Uganda
- Exports of goods and services (current US$) — US$13.29 billion (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (current LCU) — 48.86 trillion (2025)
- Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 21.44% (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current US$) — US$14.04 billion (2025)
- Gross capital formation (current LCU) — 51.61 trillion (2025)
- Gross capital formation (% of GDP) — 22.65% (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current US$) — US$17.83 billion (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (current LCU) — 65.54 trillion (2025)
- Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 28.76% (2025)
- External balance on goods and services (current LCU)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Uganda's external balance on goods and services (current US$)?
- −US$4.54 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is down 19,550% from US$23.33 million in 1960. The highest value was US$57.82 million in 1973 and the lowest −US$4.94 billion in 2023.
- How does Uganda rank?
- 106th highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in external balance on goods and services (current US$) unusual for Uganda?
- In 2025, Uganda's external balance on goods and services (current US$) rose US$389 million on 2024 (from −US$4.93 billion to −US$4.54 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$150.43 million and a typical year strayed about US$781.34 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.RSB.GNFS.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Country official statistics, National Statistical Organizations and/or Central Banks; National Accounts data files, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); Staff estimates, World Bank (WB) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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