Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda
Uganda: Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) was 19.5% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda stood at 19.5%.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda peaked at 21.5% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 15.9%, in 1991.
That places Uganda 172nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 15.9% | — |
| 1992 | 16.0% | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 16.2% | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 16.5% | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 16.7% | +1.7% |
| 1996 | 17.1% | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 17.4% | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 17.6% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 17.9% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 18.1% | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 18.3% | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 18.5% | +1.3% |
| 2003 | 18.8% | +1.2% |
| 2004 | 19.0% | +1.3% |
| 2005 | 19.2% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 19.5% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 19.8% | +1.6% |
| 2008 | 20.2% | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 20.4% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 20.7% | +1.5% |
| 2011 | 21.0% | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 21.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 21.5% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 21.4% | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 21.5% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 21.5% | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 21.5% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 20.8% | -3.3% |
| 2019 | 20.1% | -3.3% |
| 2020 | 19.1% | -5.0% |
| 2021 | 18.7% | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 18.8% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 19.0% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 19.3% | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 19.5% | +0.9% |
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 | 19.1% | 18.7% | 19.5% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 169 Nepal 21.4% compare
- 170 Papua New Guinea 21.3% compare
- 171 Benin 20.2% compare
- 173 Guinea 18.1% compare
- 174 South Sudan 17.5% compare
- 175 Burkina Faso 17.4% compare
More work & labour data for Uganda
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes, annual 0.0339 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male, annual growth 0.0408 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female, annual growth 0.0266 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population, annual growth rate 1.02 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population, annual growth rate 3.77 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Urban population 46,664 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Rural population 59,035 1000 No (2050)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Female 60,822 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Male 60,013 1000 No (2100)
- Population - Est. & Proj. — Total Population - Both sexes 120,835 1000 No (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda?
- Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) in Uganda was 19.5% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 21.5% in 2016.
- What is the lowest wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.9% in 1991.
- How does Uganda rank for wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment)?
- Uganda ranks 172nd out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Wage and salaried workers, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Wage and salaried workers (employees) are those workers who hold the type of jobs defined as "paid employment jobs," where the incumbents hold explicit (written or oral) or implicit employment contracts that give them a basic remuneration that is not directly dependent upon the revenue of the unit for which they work.