Is Uganda Rich or Poor Country?

If you are stranger somewhere distant. For whatever reason you get to hear about Uganda whether for the good reasons or bad reasons, one of the questions that often comes up is whether Uganda is poor country or a rich country. A patriot would obviously answer this question showing you how much wealth Uganda possesses in natural resources but if we are to answer the question honestly, there is a likelihood that the person asking the question wants to know whether to place Uganda in the league of countries like Norway, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland and several well off countries, or to place it among countries like Haiti.

The poverty of the country does not lie in how big their country budget is. The poverty of the country is the correlation between the population and their country budget. Similar to everyday life where there is a minimum difference between a person earning $30,000 a year but spending more than three quarters of it in bills and taxes whereas there is another man earning $10,000 a year but only spending less than 20% of it in bill. Though the one that earns $30,000 might be considered richer, the one that earns $10,000 is far well off.

Kampala Down Town

Considering Uganda’s economy and several other economic dynamic, the honest answer is; Uganda is a poor country. It is among the poorest countries in the whole world. The new national budget has shot up to 72.3 trillion. This is an equivalent of $20 billion. With a population of close to 50 million, if you were to earmark this money per citizen, that would total up to $400 per person a year! This is less than $35 a month.

When you consider that last research that was published by the bank of Uganda; this is very telling because around 11 million working Ugandans earn either $40 or less a month. It is roughly 250,000 people that earn around 1 million Ugx ($275) and above per month. On average, each household in Uganda has 2 dependents. That makes even the earning crippled down that what people are assumed to be earning. On the political wing, you have politicians demanding for services without raising the issue of how much money is available.

The Tourism Side of The Story

Given that the country is poor, it is very easy to assume that everything is going to be cheap. So you can have a good time if you just visit the country regardless of how tight your budget is. In order to get a proper idea of how much you have to spend in Uganda, consider the average earning among the one percent of the country. What you would consider the middle class earns around $3300 per year. This means that in case you wish to have a basic trip in Uganda, you would do well budgeting for at least $3300 per person.

We cannot say that Uganda is expensive. There are some things that you will find too expensive and there are things that you will find too cheap. In tours and travel, you will consider things such as chimpanzee tracking permits. These range between $100 and $300. The gorilla trekking permits range between $500 and $800 depending on your residence and citizenship.

With gorilla trekking as the flagship Uganda safari activity, it would be wise to budget for $1000 for chimpanzee and gorilla trekking permits alone. This is without considering car rentals, accommodation, fuel and other park entrances as well as your flight. If you put those things in perspective, $6000 would be the most recommended all inclusive budget for your trip. This would include your flight, car rentals, proper accommodation  and park entrances.

If you forego gorilla trekking and chimpanzee tracking, your trip will cost a little beat cheaper. There is more than gorilla trekking and chimpanzee in Uganda. Uganda also has the big five. Instead of obsessing with gorilla trekking when it is above your budget, you can consider visiting the savannah national park such as Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo and Murchison falls national park. Sometimes it is wise to simply visit one savannah national park and then do your gorilla trekking safari as well.