Merchandise trade in Uganda
Uganda: Merchandise trade was 49.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Merchandise trade in Uganda, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for merchandise trade in Uganda is 49.9%, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 22.9% on the previous year and up 107.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise trade in Uganda peaked at 58.2% in 1964 and was at its lowest, 10.2%, in 1990.
That places Uganda 109th out of 204 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.
Merchandise trade in Uganda, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 52.0% | — |
| 1961 | 52.1% | +0.2% |
| 1962 | 51.0% | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 56.2% | +10.2% |
| 1964 | 58.2% | +3.6% |
| 1965 | 41.5% | -28.7% |
| 1966 | 41.4% | -0.3% |
| 1967 | 39.1% | -5.6% |
| 1968 | 36.7% | -6.0% |
| 1969 | 34.9% | -4.9% |
| 1970 | 36.0% | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 36.0% | -0.2% |
| 1972 | 29.8% | -17.1% |
| 1973 | 26.7% | -10.6% |
| 1974 | 25.2% | -5.7% |
| 1975 | 19.7% | -21.8% |
| 1976 | 21.9% | +11.4% |
| 1977 | 28.2% | +28.9% |
| 1978 | 24.9% | -11.9% |
| 1979 | 29.5% | +18.8% |
| 1980 | 51.3% | +73.5% |
| 1981 | 44.0% | -14.2% |
| 1982 | 33.3% | -24.2% |
| 1983 | 33.4% | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 20.5% | -38.5% |
| 1985 | 20.3% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 18.9% | -6.6% |
| 1987 | 18.6% | -1.7% |
| 1988 | 17.8% | -4.4% |
| 1989 | 10.3% | -41.9% |
| 1990 | 10.2% | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 11.9% | +16.6% |
| 1992 | 22.6% | +89.9% |
| 1993 | 22.2% | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 32.2% | +45.1% |
| 1995 | 26.3% | -18.1% |
| 1996 | 29.4% | +11.7% |
| 1997 | 29.8% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 29.1% | -2.5% |
| 1999 | 31.0% | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 31.3% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 35.0% | +11.8% |
| 2002 | 24.6% | -29.7% |
| 2003 | 28.9% | +17.3% |
| 2004 | 30.0% | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 31.0% | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 35.3% | +13.7% |
| 2007 | 40.6% | +15.1% |
| 2008 | 43.3% | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 23.1% | -46.5% |
| 2010 | 23.6% | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 27.9% | +18.7% |
| 2012 | 30.8% | +10.1% |
| 2013 | 28.4% | -7.5% |
| 2014 | 25.6% | -10.1% |
| 2015 | 24.1% | -5.8% |
| 2016 | 25.0% | +4.0% |
| 2017 | 27.6% | +10.4% |
| 2018 | 29.8% | +7.9% |
| 2019 | 31.9% | +6.8% |
| 2020 | 33.0% | +3.5% |
| 2021 | 32.2% | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 29.2% | -9.2% |
| 2023 | 37.1% | +26.8% |
| 2024 | 40.6% | +9.4% |
| 2025 | 49.9% | +22.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 46.3% | 34.9% | 58.2% | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.8% | 19.7% | 36.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 26.9% | 10.3% | 51.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.5% | 10.2% | 32.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 32.3% | 23.1% | 43.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.5% | 23.6% | 31.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.0% | 29.2% | 49.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Uganda
- 106 Cyprus 52.1% compare
- 107 Northern Mariana Islands 50.5% compare
- 108 Spain 50.3% compare
- 110 Iran, Islamic Republic of 49.3% compare
- 111 Canada 48.8% compare
- 112 Trinidad and Tobago 48.6% compare
More private sector data for Uganda
- Food imports 10.7% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 47.3% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 18.40 billion current US$ (2025)
- 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 trade in Uganda?
- Merchandise trade in Uganda was 49.9% in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise trade recorded in Uganda?
- The highest recorded value was 58.2% in 1964.
- What is the lowest merchandise trade recorded in Uganda?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.2% in 1990.
- How does Uganda rank for merchandise trade?
- Uganda ranks 109th out of 204 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise trade rising or falling in Uganda?
- Over the last ten years it is up 107.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Uganda data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise trade (% of GDP). 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
General merchandise trade includes goods whose economic ownership is changed between a resident and a non-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. It is the total of merchandise exports plus merchandise imports. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period.