Uganda: Net primary income (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Uganda's net primary income (current US$, BoP) rose US$236.77 million on 2024 (from −US$1.58 billion to −US$1.34 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was −US$50.63 million and a typical year strayed about US$114.65 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 2.5 standard deviations above that average, so it was unusually large compared with the rest of the record.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was US$236.77 million in 2025 and the biggest yearly fall was US$304.05 million in 2023. 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$86.7 million a year. A straight line explains 77% 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.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about −US$1.68 billion for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was US$268.08 million, against US$381.19 million for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Uganda had the 69th highest value of the 136 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

• Croatia — 65th of 136: −US$1.15 billion
• Spain — 66th of 136: −US$1.23 billion
• Tunisia — 67th of 136: −US$1.32 billion
• Sudan — 69th of 136: −US$1.47 billion
• Guatemala — 70th of 136: −US$1.47 billion
• Bolivia — 71st of 136: −US$1.72 billion

What this measures

Net primary income includes the net labor income and net property and entrepreneurial income components of the SNA. Labor income covers compensation of employees paid to nonresident workers. Property and entrepreneurial income covers investment income from the ownership of foreign financial claims (interest, dividends, rent, etc.) and nonfinancial property income (patents, copyrights, etc.). 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.

Limitations: Discrepancies may arise in the balance of payments because there is no single source for balance of payments data and therefore no way to ensure that the data are fully consistent. Sources include customs data, monetary accounts of the banking system, external debt records, information provided by enterprises, surveys to estimate service transactions, and foreign exchange records. Differences in collection methods - such as in timing, definitions of residence and ownership, and the exchange rate used to value transactions - contribute to net errors and omissions. In addition, smuggling and other illegal or quasi-legal transactions may be unrecorded or misrecorded.

All 46 values

Net primary income (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — −US$5.94 billion (2025)
• Benin — −US$189.28 million (2023)
• Botswana — −US$383.14 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — −US$1.14 billion (2024)
• Burundi — −US$20.47 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — −US$39.9 million (2025)
• Cameroon — −US$1.11 billion (2024)
• Comoros — US$7.38 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — −US$3.36 billion (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — −US$1.65 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire

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$17.83 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current LCU) — 65.54 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 28.76% (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Uganda's net primary income (current US$, BoP)?

−US$1.34 billion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1980?

It is down 18,074% from −US$7.37 million in 1980. The highest value was −US$7.37 million in 1980 and the lowest −US$1.58 billion in 2024.

How does Uganda rank?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.GSR.FCTY.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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