Merchandise imports in Uganda
Uganda: Merchandise imports was 18.40 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise imports in Uganda is 18.40 billion current US$, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 33.0% on the previous year and up 232.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Uganda peaked at 18.40 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 91.00 million current US$, in 1960.
That places Uganda 91st out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Uganda, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 91.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 95.00 million current US$ | +4.4% |
| 1962 | 95.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 114.00 million current US$ | +20.0% |
| 1964 | 130.00 million current US$ | +14.0% |
| 1965 | 161.00 million current US$ | +23.8% |
| 1966 | 166.00 million current US$ | +3.1% |
| 1967 | 159.00 million current US$ | -4.2% |
| 1968 | 165.00 million current US$ | +3.8% |
| 1969 | 175.00 million current US$ | +6.1% |
| 1970 | 172.00 million current US$ | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 250.00 million current US$ | +45.3% |
| 1972 | 162.00 million current US$ | -35.2% |
| 1973 | 163.00 million current US$ | +0.6% |
| 1974 | 213.00 million current US$ | +30.7% |
| 1975 | 207.00 million current US$ | -2.8% |
| 1976 | 172.00 million current US$ | -16.9% |
| 1977 | 241.00 million current US$ | +40.1% |
| 1978 | 254.00 million current US$ | +5.4% |
| 1979 | 197.00 million current US$ | -22.4% |
| 1980 | 293.00 million current US$ | +48.7% |
| 1981 | 345.00 million current US$ | +17.7% |
| 1982 | 377.00 million current US$ | +9.3% |
| 1983 | 377.00 million current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 344.00 million current US$ | -8.8% |
| 1985 | 327.00 million current US$ | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 307.00 million current US$ | -6.1% |
| 1987 | 848.00 million current US$ | +176.2% |
| 1988 | 887.00 million current US$ | +4.6% |
| 1989 | 271.00 million current US$ | -69.4% |
| 1990 | 288.00 million current US$ | +6.3% |
| 1991 | 196.00 million current US$ | -31.9% |
| 1992 | 505.00 million current US$ | +157.7% |
| 1993 | 535.00 million current US$ | +5.9% |
| 1994 | 875.00 million current US$ | +63.6% |
| 1995 | 1.06 billion current US$ | +20.7% |
| 1996 | 1.19 billion current US$ | +12.8% |
| 1997 | 1.32 billion current US$ | +10.5% |
| 1998 | 1.42 billion current US$ | +7.6% |
| 1999 | 1.34 billion current US$ | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 1.54 billion current US$ | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 1.59 billion current US$ | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 1.05 billion current US$ | -33.9% |
| 2003 | 1.38 billion current US$ | +30.6% |
| 2004 | 1.73 billion current US$ | +25.5% |
| 2005 | 2.05 billion current US$ | +19.0% |
| 2006 | 2.56 billion current US$ | +24.5% |
| 2007 | 3.49 billion current US$ | +36.6% |
| 2008 | 4.53 billion current US$ | +29.6% |
| 2009 | 4.25 billion current US$ | -6.2% |
| 2010 | 4.66 billion current US$ | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 5.63 billion current US$ | +20.7% |
| 2012 | 6.04 billion current US$ | +7.3% |
| 2013 | 5.82 billion current US$ | -3.7% |
| 2014 | 6.07 billion current US$ | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 5.53 billion current US$ | -9.0% |
| 2016 | 4.83 billion current US$ | -12.6% |
| 2017 | 5.60 billion current US$ | +15.9% |
| 2018 | 6.73 billion current US$ | +20.2% |
| 2019 | 7.70 billion current US$ | +14.4% |
| 2020 | 8.25 billion current US$ | +7.2% |
| 2021 | 9.09 billion current US$ | +10.1% |
| 2022 | 9.75 billion current US$ | +7.3% |
| 2023 | 11.78 billion current US$ | +20.8% |
| 2024 | 13.83 billion current US$ | +17.4% |
| 2025 | 18.40 billion current US$ | +33.0% |
Uganda compared with similar countries
- Uganda's 18.40 billion current US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.66 billion current US$, 5.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Uganda's 18.40 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 3.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports in Uganda changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +176.2% | 307.00 million current US$ | 848.00 million current US$ |
| 1992 | +157.7% | 196.00 million current US$ | 505.00 million current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 135.10 million current US$ | 91.00 million current US$ | 175.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 203.10 million current US$ | 162.00 million current US$ | 254.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 437.60 million current US$ | 271.00 million current US$ | 887.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 872.00 million current US$ | 196.00 million current US$ | 1.42 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.42 billion current US$ | 1.05 billion current US$ | 4.53 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.86 billion current US$ | 4.66 billion current US$ | 7.70 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.85 billion current US$ | 8.25 billion current US$ | 18.40 billion current US$ | 6 |
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)
- Food exports 39.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 14.3% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 12.50 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 243.26 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2017 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 55.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 358.08 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Uganda?
- Merchandise imports in Uganda was 18.40 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 18.40 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 91.00 million current US$ in 1960.
- How does Uganda rank for merchandise imports?
- Uganda ranks 91st out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 232.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.