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Country Snapshot - Uganda  

HighlightsRankingsQuantitative DataLegislationAnalytical WorkProject Portfolio
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Low income
  • 33,796,461 (2011)
  • 490
Uganda Flag
Below are select highlights for the data included in the profile.

  1. Uganda’s overall Doing Business 2011 ranking is 122, recording a 7-point increase from last year. The most significant increase was recorded in the Getting Credit Indicator, where the country jumped 63 spots.
  2. According to the latest Enterprise Surveys (2006), the top constraint to firm investment in Uganda is lack of access to electricity. Firms in Uganda also reported that 11 power outages per month was typical, slightly higher than the regional average (10.45).
  3. Of the 33 sectors covered by the Investing Across Sectors indicators, 32 are fully open to foreign equity ownership in Uganda. In the banking sector, Ugandan Financial Institutions Act (2004) specifies that a single shareholder, foreign or domestic, cannot hold more than 49% of the shares of a local bank. If a foreign bank is held and controlled by more than a single shareholder, there is no restriction on its equity participation in a local bank. While electricity generation and distribution are open to foreign companies, foreign investment is not allowed in the electricity transmission sector.
  4. Uganda’s economic freedom score is 61.7, making it the 80th freest economy in the 2011 Index. Its score is 0.5 point lower than last year due to declines in four of the 10 economic freedoms. Uganda is ranked 7th out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, and its overall score is above the world average. Despite the external economic environment, the Ugandan economy has expanded at an average rate close to 9 percent over the past five years. Tariff barriers have been eased, although non-tariff barriers still constrain overall trade freedom. Uganda continues to attract more foreign direct investment than many other countries in the region. It is diversifying its productive base, and manufacturing has become more substantial. However, a weak and inefficient judicial system and pervasive corruption are likely to remain serious impediments to sustainable development.