Uganda's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) was 3.42% in 2021, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 2.54 percentage points from 0.88% in 2011.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 3.42% | 2021 |
| Ten years earlier | 0.88% | 2011 |
| Highest | 3.6% | 2003 |
| Lowest | 0.88% | 2011 |
| Average since 2012 | 2.74% | 2012–2021 |
| First recorded | 3.5% | 2002 |
Since 2002 it is down 0.08 percentage points from 3.5% in 2002. The World Bank has no value for 8 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Uganda | 3.42% | 2021 |
| World | 5.08% | 2022 |
Closest to Uganda in the 2021 ranking
- Ukraine — 1st of 2: 9.83%
What this measures
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.
Limitations: The criteria for people considered to be seeking work, and the treatment of people temporarily laid off or seeking work for the first time, vary across countries. In many cases it is especially difficult to measure employment and unemployment in agriculture. The timing of a survey can maximize the effects of seasonal unemployment in agriculture. And informal sector employment is difficult to quantify where informal activities are not tracked.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 12 values
| Year | Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3.42 |
| 2020 | no data |
| 2019 | 2.56 |
| 2018 | no data |
| 2017 | 3.43 |
| 2016 | no data |
| 2015 | no data |
| 2014 | 1.57 |
| 2013 | 1.91 |
| 2012 | 3.55 |
| 2011 |
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate) in nearby economies
More social protection & labor data for Uganda
- Net migration — -119,059 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asylum — 1.94 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of origin — 12,792 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 65.97% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 73.59% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 69.77% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 76.93% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Uganda's unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (national estimate)?
- 3.42% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 2002?
- It is down 0.08 percentage points from 3.5% in 2002. The highest value was 3.6% in 2003 and the lowest 0.88% in 2011.
- Where does this data come from?
- The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.UEM.TOTL.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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