Employment by status in Uganda
Uganda: Employment by status was 19.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Employment by status in Uganda, 1991–2024
Source: International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, employment by status in Uganda stood at 19.3%.
The figure is up 1.3% on the previous year and down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment by status in Uganda peaked at 21.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 1991.
That places Uganda 170th out of 186 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.8% | 15.9% | 17.9% | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.2% | 18.1% | 20.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.1% | 20.1% | 21.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 19.0% | 18.7% | 19.3% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 167 Nepal 21.2% compare
- 168 Papua New Guinea 21.2% compare
- 169 Benin 19.8% compare
- 171 Guinea 17.8% compare
- 172 South Sudan 17.5% compare
- 173 Burkina Faso 17.2% compare
More work & labour data for Uganda
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 80.0% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 84.6% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 89.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 75.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 81.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 85.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 76.9% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment by status in Uganda?
- Employment by status in Uganda was 19.3% in 2024, according to International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment by status recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 21.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest employment by status recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 1991.
- How does Uganda rank for employment by status?
- Uganda ranks 170th out of 186 countries with data for 2024.
- Is employment by status rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment by status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of people in employment working as employees, as a percentage of total employment.