About Uganda

Uganda is situated in the centre of the African continent. Landlocked, it borders the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Tanzania, South Sudan, Kenya and Rwanda. Its official language is English, although many people use various native languages.

It has a population of approx 45 million people. The principal industry is agriculture, which employs 72 per cent of the workforce. In addition to its main export of coffee, Uganda produces tea, fish, cotton, gold and horticultural products. It has a small industrial sector but this is dependent on imports of oil and heavy equipment. There are known oil reserves, but these have not been developed.

Uganda is one of the poorest countries in the world. 35 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, and more than half of the people exist on less than £1 per day. Healthcare and education are poorly resourced, and there is no pension system. While the government does have policies for healthcare and education, it often falls to local people to provide the means to deliver these.

Almost half the population is under 14 years old. Life expectancy is around 66 years for men and 71 years for women. 1.5 million people are living with HIV and AIDS, which is a major factor in the low life expectancy. There is also a high infant mortality rate of around 31 per 1000 births..

Just over half complete primary school. This has led to low literacy rates, with only 62 per cent of the population being able to read and write after age 15.