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Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa. It borders Kenya, South Sudan, the DRC, Rwanda and Tanzania and includes part of Lake Victoria. It lies within the Nile basin and has a varied equatorial climate. Despite a democratic multi-party system and equal rights for all citizens, the country struggles with significant challenges, including inter-communal violence and long-term conflict in the north and northeast, which have led to under-development in these regions.
As of the 2014 census, Uganda’s population was 34.6 million, with young people aged 18 to 30 making up 22.5 per cent of this number. With a projected growth rate over 3 per cent, the population was expected to reach 43.7 million by mid-2022, including 11.4 million in urban areas. This rapid growth is straining resources and services, including food, employment, education, healthcare and housing.
In 2023, Uganda faced compounded pressures from multiple crises. The country continued to host over 1.5 million refugees, primarily from South Sudan and the DRC, while natural hazards and climate change exacerbated vulnerabilities. The strain on resources intensified with the Ebola outbreak caused by the Sudan strain, first announced on September 20, 2022, in Mubende, 130 km west of Kampala. This outbreak, along with ongoing economic pressures such as rising commodity prices and the lingering effects of COVID-19, further strained livelihoods and increased poverty risks throughout the year.