International tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda
Uganda: International tourism, number of arrivals was 473,000 in 2020. ◆ Volatile
International tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda, 1995–2020
Source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
Analysis
The most recent figure for international tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda is 473,000, measured in 2020.
That represents a change of down 69.3% on the previous year and down 50.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, international tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda peaked at 1.54 million in 2019 and was at its lowest, 160,000, in 1995.
That places Uganda 133rd out of 201 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
International tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 160,000 | — |
| 1996 | 174,000 | +8.8% |
| 1997 | 175,000 | +0.6% |
| 1998 | 195,000 | +11.4% |
| 1999 | 189,000 | -3.1% |
| 2000 | 193,000 | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 205,000 | +6.2% |
| 2002 | 254,000 | +23.9% |
| 2003 | 305,000 | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 512,000 | +67.9% |
| 2005 | 468,000 | -8.6% |
| 2006 | 539,000 | +15.2% |
| 2007 | 642,000 | +19.1% |
| 2008 | 844,000 | +31.5% |
| 2009 | 807,000 | -4.4% |
| 2010 | 946,000 | +17.2% |
| 2011 | 1.15 million | +21.7% |
| 2012 | 1.20 million | +4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.21 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 1.27 million | +5.0% |
| 2015 | 1.30 million | +2.9% |
| 2016 | 1.32 million | +1.5% |
| 2017 | 1.40 million | +6.0% |
| 2018 | 1.51 million | +7.4% |
| 2019 | 1.54 million | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 473,000 | -69.3% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 473,000 is above the median for low income countries, which is 272,500, 1.7× the median. (20 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 473,000 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 345,300, 1.4× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where International tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | -69.3% | 1.54 million | 473,000 |
| 2004 | +67.9% | 305,000 | 512,000 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 178,600 | 160,000 | 195,000 | 5 |
| 2000s | 476,900 | 193,000 | 844,000 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.28 million | 946,000 | 1.54 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 473,000 | 473,000 | 473,000 | 1 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
More private sector data for Uganda
- Merchandise trade 49.9% (2025)
- Food imports 10.7% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 47.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 18.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 5.41 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 39.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 14.3% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 12.50 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 2.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 243.26 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is international tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda?
- International tourism, number of arrivals in Uganda was 473,000 in 2020, according to Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism.
- What is the highest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 1.54 million in 2019.
- What is the lowest international tourism, number of arrivals recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 160,000 in 1995.
- How does Uganda rank for international tourism, number of arrivals?
- Uganda ranks 133rd out of 201 countries with data for 2020.
- Is international tourism, number of arrivals rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism, published as part of International tourism, number of arrivals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
International inbound tourists (overnight visitors) are the number of tourists who travel to a country other than that in which they have their usual residence, but outside their usual environment, for a period not exceeding 12 months and whose main purpose in visiting is other than an activity remunerated from within the country visited. When data on number of tourists are not available, the number of visitors, which includes tourists, same-day visitors, cruise passengers, and crew members, is shown instead. Sources and collection methods for arrivals differ across countries. In some cases data are from border statistics (police, immigration, and the like) and supplemented by border surveys. In other cases data are from tourism accommodation establishments. For some countries number of arrivals is limited to arrivals by air and for others to arrivals staying in hotels. Some countries include arrivals of nationals residing abroad while others do not. Caution should thus be used in comparing arrivals across countries. The data on inbound tourists refer to the number of arrivals, not to the number of people traveling. Thus a person who makes several trips to a country during a given period is counted each time as a new arrival.