Uganda: Trade (% of GDP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Uganda's trade (% of GDP) rose 7.55 percentage points on 2024 (from 42.65% to 50.2%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 15.56 percentage points in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 12.24 percentage points in 1982. 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 upward, about 1.12 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 39% 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 104th 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

• Peru — 101st of 137: 51.82%
• Dominican Republic — 102nd of 137: 51.49%
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 103rd of 137: 51.33%
• Türkiye — 105th of 137: 49.93%
• Uruguay — 106th of 137: 49.72%
• Sierra Leone — 107th of 137: 49.1%

What this measures

Trade is the sum of exports and imports of goods and services. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 66 values

Trade (% of GDP) in nearby economies

• Angola — 34.65% (2025)
• Benin — 37.12% (2025)
• Botswana — 69.54% (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 65% (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 95.33% (2025)
• Cameroon — 33.38% (2025)
• Central African Republic — 52.91% (2025)
• Chad — 46.13% (2025)
• Comoros — 40.89% (2025)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 87.33% (2025)
• Congo, Rep. — 91.67% (2025)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 54.56% (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$17.83 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (current LCU) — 65.54 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) — 28.76% (2025)
• External balance on goods and services (current US$)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
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• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Uganda's trade (% of GDP)?

50.2% in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 1.05 percentage points from 49.15% in 1960. The highest value was 56.26% in 2008 and the lowest 16.95% in 1977.

How does Uganda rank?

104th highest of 137 economies with data for 2025.

Is the latest change in trade (% of GDP) unusual for Uganda?

In 2025, Uganda's trade (% of GDP) rose 7.55 percentage points on 2024 (from 42.65% to 50.2%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +0.49 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 4.95 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator NE.TRD.GNFS.ZS, 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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